


Focus

by NatashaCole, Trigger Finger (NatashaCole), Wilde_Abandon



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Confident Flirting, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Multiple Partners, Oblivious Reader, Teasing, angst (probably?)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2019-10-09 07:23:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 28,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17402540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatashaCole/pseuds/NatashaCole, https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatashaCole/pseuds/Trigger%20Finger, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wilde_Abandon/pseuds/Wilde_Abandon
Summary: Reader is a popular fandom photographer, having made a name for herself in large convention circuits. When an old mentor asks for her assistance at an event she’s never attended, she’s happy to agree. Not only does Chris have to guide her through the unfamiliar territory of a Supernatural convention; he may just have to show her exactly how he feels about her when the one man she never expected shows up for the weekend. Reader has grown used to fighting for what she wants, but what’ll happen when she becomes the focus of attention from the two men she admires most?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea was born out of boredom between @NatashaCole and I via a fic name game. We’ll be collaborating on this story. Enjoy!

**ONE**

 

Rain fell in heavy sheets, pelting the glass windows of her home office. Glancing up from the screen that had monopolized the better part of Y/F/N’s Saturday morning, a wistful smile quickly replaced the look of concentration she’d worn only moments before. **  
**

It had taken the better part of five years, but what had started as a hobby had now become Y/F/N’s career. Always a bit on the nerdier side, as a child she’d suffered for her love of comic books, fantasy novels and dressing as her favorite characters. When she’d turned fourteen, Y/F/N had attended her very first Comic-Con, right here in the Pacific Northwest. At seventeen, she bought her first camera with savings accumulated from her first summer job. The cheap little point-and-shoot meant only to help preserve the memories experienced at conventions.

Although photography was her passion, ten years later she still found herself behind the desk of a large conglomerate – the steady hum of coworkers tapping away on their keyboards surrounding her as she sat in a grey sea of cubicles and windowless drudgery. Like most of her peers, she celebrated Friday afternoons with unimaginable glee. Unlike her counterparts however, her weekends were spent huddled over the small sewing desk crammed into a corner of her one-room apartment. Bolts of colorful fabric stuffed in every available space. Tirelessly she perfected the smallest details on what had, over the years, become award-winning cosplay. Y/F/N had quickly taken note of what good photography was, often hanging out with convention photographers as they wandered the halls, capturing the moments that would eventually become highlight videos and marketing materials for future events.

As she devoured every book in sight on the finer points of photography, Y/F/N discovered soon enough that she was in the market for a completely different camera set-up.

Months of research and countless interviews with other photographers helped hone her knowledge and the day she bought her first full-frame camera, she knew something was about to change for the better. She also knew that the new path she was turning towards had no room for grey walls and a corporate mentality. So, she quit. While some said the decision was hasty, she was confident that if she was to be successful in her new endeavor, a sharp left-turn out of corporate America was necessary.

****

Thoughts cut short with the melodic notes of her favorite Indie band, Y/F/N turned from the winter rainstorm and strode back to her desk. A smile spread across her face as she lifted the phone from the glossy surface. Chris hadn't called her in months, both of them busy with their own ongoing photography assignments.

“Chris! Hey man, how've you been?”

Exchanging pleasantries, you found yourself pacing the room - wiggling your toes in the plush cream carpet while you caught up with one of your earliest mentors.

Several years prior, you'd run into the man - quite literally - nearly knocking him to the ground in your haste to make a group shoot. Seeing the camera clutched in one hand, he'd only grinned while you stood there stammering out an apology as best you could in the very little time you had to spare. Ten minutes later, while you stood amongst a group of other cosplayers (still trying to steady your heart-rate), you turned at the sound of the ballroom door opening. Chris had come waltzing into the room, that same steady grin on his face, and for the first time you took note of his appearance. More than anything, the frosted ice of his eyes sent an actual chill through your body.

When you'd opened your email several weeks later and found the pictures from that event, you were impressed. The images were crisp, vibrant and well-lit. Comparing them to the work of staff photographers, who were usually volunteers with very little experience, you found his images inspiring and you'd immediately sent an email asking for pointers - explaining your desire to improve your own photography skills. He'd agreed almost instantly and over the years the two of you had shared information with each other. Eventually as you started taking more photography assignments and fewer cosplay commissions you'd started to build a name for yourself. More often than not you'd be on a flight to a different location nearly every weekend, but you couldn't fathom wanting to do anything else.

****

“Hey Y/F/N, what's your calendar looking like this next weekend?” Chris put the call on speaker, throwing the phone down on the non-descript mattress of the generic hotel he was getting ready to leave.

Slightly taken aback by his abrupt question, Y/F/N navigated to her schedule for the following week. There were no entries. Scrunching her nose in confusion, she tried to think whether she'd missed something. Free weekends were almost never a reality for her and she needed to be sure she hadn't simply forgotten something.

“Well..weirdly enough it looks like I'm free this weekend, but I'll double check. Why, are you going to be in town?”

Pulling the desk chair back over to sit in, you began scrolling through your notes, only partially listening to the man on the other end of the conversation.

“Yeah, I'll be up for a Supernatural convention and could really use a second set of hands. Usually Seattle has a pretty small turnout, but I've also got a workshop to get ready for, so I'd love some help.” “Besides, we should catch-up.”

You'd watched through the series on Netflix earlier last year and, while you were a fan, you'd yet to attend one of their official conventions. The disappointment of booking what was sure to be your only free weekend for the next several months was short-lived. Besides, the Westin was a really nice hotel. No way would you turn that down.  Accepting his invitation, you kept the call short. If you'd be in Seattle all of the following week, finishing your current workload would be imperative.

****

Friday morning saw you arriving to the city with the sunrise. The skyline lit with oranges and yellow, a dusting of pinky-purple faded into a clear blue sky. It would be beautiful today. Drumming along the steering wheel as you pulled into the parking garage, you were thankful for the compact car you’d purchased. Half the spaces were full and it was only just after eight-thirty. Grabbing your luggage from the back seat after firing a quick text off to Chris letting him know you’d arrived, you headed for check-in.

Clusters of people mingled in the hotel lobby, nearly all of them wearing flannel or shirts with the symbol you recognized as the anti-possession symbol from the show. Sometimes a combination of both. Hotel guests who weren’t there for the convention were instantly recognizable. Expressions ranged from confusion to outright horror at the sudden influx of questionable sigils and murmured conversations about devils and angel blades.

Winding through the groups of fans, their excitement was contagious and a wide grin spread across your face as you made your way to your room. Waiting for the elevator, you hastily rifled through the messenger bag slung over one shoulder when it began to hum. Pulling your phone from one of the pockets, you unlocked it to a text from Chris:

  


 

 Dumping your belongings on the queen-sized bed, you took a moment to fire a reply to let Chris know you were on your way.

  


 

Shoving the phone in your back pocket, you stopped briefly in front of the mirror to run a brush through your hair and fix the eye-liner that had smudged sometime between six this morning and now.

A few minutes later, as you wandered through the brightly-lit corridor of the second floor, somewhere music began to play. The upbeat, fun play-list appeared to be coming from a set of double doors halfway between where you stood and the end of the hall. Making your way to the room and grabbing hold of one brass-plated handle, you slipped inside - the door closing quietly behind you.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader starts day one of the convention learning the basics from Chris. She's just a little surprised to find out that one of her favorite bands happens to be here.

                                                         

**TWO**

The moment you entered the room, you were overwhelmed by the sheer volume at which the music was playing. You took a moment to gather yourself before you easily spotted Chris, his back to you as he appeared to be fumbling with his gear that was set out on the table.

Knowing that you couldn’t necessarily get his attention by shouting right now, you moved up behind him and carefully placed a hand on his arm.

Startled, he quickly turned to face you, smiling widely when he saw your face.

He moved to stop his music that was blasting through the room before turning his attention back to you.

“Y/N! You’re here!”

“I told you I was here,” you chuckled.

“No, I know. But, you’re here. Right now.”

“I am,” you smiled.

“I really appreciate you coming to this. With all of these new events that the organizers keep adding, it’ll be good to have someone around who is capable of helping me out when I need it.”

“I don’t know how much help I’ll really be,” you admitted. “I only aspire to be as good as you someday.”

“What are you talking about? You’re amazing. You’ll fit in very nicely here.”

“Well, I did learn from the best,” you said as you gave him a playful nudge.

“I don’t know about that,” he laughed in return. “Anyway, I should probably give you the rundown. It’s day one and everything starts soon. This,” he began, gesturing at the room in which you currently stood, “is the photo op room. This is basically where I am at all times every day.”

You glanced around, familiarizing yourself with the setup. It wasn’t anything that you hadn’t seen before. You figured that if you were expected to spend most of your time in this room shooting photo ops, the weekend was going to be a piece of cake. However, you were still unsure of exactly what your real purpose here was. Chris had only mentioned you coming to help him out.

“So, what will I be doing this weekend exactly?” You asked.

“Like I said, just helping me out when I need it. I always have people helping me during ops, but I figured it would be nice to have someone who really gets photography to help out. You were the first person I thought of, Y/N. You’ve come such a long way from when we first started talking about photography, and you have an impressive resume. Now that I’m doing a photography workshop, I didn’t want just anyone stepping in for me to take over ops. The company also likes the idea of having someone cover the events. I figured, I’d have someone competent to help me out, and it would also give you an opportunity to photograph the convention. I think you’d really enjoy it.”

“Events?” You asked.

“Yeah; panels, karaoke, the concert... “ Chris trailed off.

“Karaoke? A concert? What kind of convention is this?” You chuckled.

“Well, it’s a lot different from what you’re used to to,” he said with a smile. “But, I think you’ll really enjoy it.”

“Okay. And I just get a free pass to photograph around here?”

“Yeah, you’ll have the same access that I do.”

He began to rummage through a bag until he found what he was looking for. He handed the item over to you and you recognized that it was basically a press pass for the weekend.

“You’ll need that to get into all of the events,” he explained. “It basically gives you free range to pretty much everything.”

“Everything?”

“Hey, perks of working with me,” he said as he gave you a wink.

You slipped the pass over your head, knowing that the weekend was already starting and that meant you’d be put to work quickly. It wasn’t usual for you to play second-fiddle to another photographer, especially at a convention; but Chris had easily talked you into basically playing his assistant this weekend. You only wondered what his job really consisted of at these things in which he’d need help to begin with.

Chris glanced at his watch for a moment before turning back to you.

“We have a little time,” he began. “I could show you around real quick before everything starts.”

“Sounds good,” you replied.

 

You followed Chris out of the photo op room, walking quickly just to keep up with him. He spoke as you walked, occasionally pointing out rooms that had nothing to do with you and introducing you to people that you’d forget the names of too quickly.

“This is the green room,” he explained as he held open a door for you.

You paused briefly, wondering if you had heard him right.

“Green room?” You asked.

“Yeah, our first stop.”

“They let us in the green room? Isn’t that usually reserved for actual famous people?”

Chris gave you a confused look, which was then quickly replaced by a sincere smile.

“Yeah, you’re gonna learn a lot here,” he replied. “Come on.”

You entered the room as he prompted you to and he stepped in as well, letting the door close behind the two of you.

“This is the green room,” he explained. “This is where everyone hangs out in their down time.”

“Even you?”

“Yes, even me.”

You glanced around the space; noting that it was definitely set up so that a group of people could hang out if they wanted to. There were couches and tables and a set up of drinks and snacks against a wall. The only strange thing was that no one was here. For a convention that consisted of what you understood to be quite the lineup of actors from the show, and was scheduled to begin in only a couple of hours; you couldn’t help but wonder where everyone was.

Chris must have read your mind because he interrupted your thoughts so that you could continue on.

“Come on,” he said as he began to walk back toward the door. “I’ll introduce you to everyone who’s here.”

“Where are they?” You asked as you followed him out.

“Most likely the theater,” he answered as the two of you walked back down the hall together.

Almost as soon as he said it, you could hear the faint sound of music playing down the hall. This time, you knew it wasn’t Chris’ playlist blasting.

Again, he opened the door for you, holding it so that you could step inside and take a peek. The large space was filled mostly with chairs, a few people sitting up in the front rows as a full band stood up on stage doing what you assumed was soundcheck. You heard the voice from one of the men on stage giving instructions over the sound system.

Chris nudged you as he stepped next to you, indicating that you should follow him. You did just that as he led you to the front of the room, your legs moving fast as you tried to keep up with his wide gait.

“You weren’t kidding about the concert thing,” you pointed out. “There’s actually a band here?”

“Yeah, they play all weekend. They’re on stage more than anyone else here.”

Just as you got close to the front of the stage, making your way around people and equipment, the band began to play again. You had to pause as soon as you heard the opening to the song they had started. Chris stopped short as well, looking at you in confusion. You studied the men on stage a bit harder, getting the feeling that you definitely recognized the song they were playing.

The man at the microphone with a guitar began to sing, and you smiled to yourself as soon as he started the first line of the song.

“Hey,” you called out to Chris, speaking a bit louder now that the room was filled with music. “Are these guys a cover band? I know this song.”

“This song?” He asked. “I mean, yeah they do covers, but this is a Louden Swain original.”

“Louden Swain?” You asked in shock.

Chris looked at you, trying to figure out why you were so surprised by the band on stage right now. You paid him no mind as you focused on the guys again, trying to piece together why in the world your favorite indie band was playing at a Supernatural convention of all places.

Truthfully, you didn’t recognize the guys at all. But then again, you had the tendency to just stumble upon random bands as you set up playlists to listen to while you edited. You were usually too busy to pay much attention to bands outside of listening to them. You had been listening to this particular band for the last couple of years and now you suddenly felt stupid as you realized this was them.

“You know them?” Chris asked as he broke you from your thoughts.

“Oh, I’m familiar with them,” you replied. “I listen to them all the time.”

“Yet, you didn’t recognize them the moment we walked in here?”

“Forgive me if I just listen to music and don’t let the people behind the music consume my life,” you said. “I’m a busy woman. I don’t really pay attention to who I listen to.”

Chris continued to watch you, amused at the way you were reacting over this realization of who these guys were.

“What are they doing here at a convention?” You asked.

“Seriously?” He laughed in return. “Oh, Y/N, you really do have a lot to learn.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is part 3 to my collaboration with @NatashaCole! 
> 
> The flirting is simmering - can't wait to see how this plays out - ahahaha.

**THREE**

 

Standing there listening to the music flow around the ballroom, it instantly set free the tension that had clung to your shoulders like a too-warm cloak. Closing your eyes, much like you did sometimes at home while listening to these guys, it almost felt like they were singing directly to you. Being able to relate to so many of their lyrics gave you a connection to the band you hadn't found with other musicians in years. As the final notes faded into silence, you opened your eyes. Intense blue irises fixed on your expression startled you briefly, prompting a nervous smile from the man on the stage. Flushing, you turned to Chris in search of familiarity, who still wore the same amused expression as he had initially.

Throwing a heavy arm around your shoulders, he began walking towards the far set of doors.

The two of you had walked only a few paces before people began to take interest. A woman with short, dark hair approached - a wide grin plastered on her face.

“Hey! I'm Kim - what's your name?” Stepping forward out of Chris’ embrace, you extended a hand to introduce yourself.

“[Y/F/N] - I'm here to help this guy for the weekend.” Jabbing a thumb over your shoulder in Chris’ general direction, you didn't quite notice the way Kim eyes widened, flicking up to meet his.

Excusing herself, Kim made her way over to the stage. Confused with her hurried departure, you shrugged it off as perhaps a bit strange, though not inherently bothersome.

Chris’ arm was back around your shoulders, his long, narrow fingers draped artfully over your collarbone. While you enjoyed the comfort of his touch, it was still new and the question of why he felt the need to maintain physical contact buzzed in your mind.

It took a minute for you to realize someone was talking to you.

“Oh, huh?” The delayed reaction made the man laugh, his pale peridot eyes crinkling around the corners. Gesturing towards the pearlescent guitar slung over his shoulder, you complimented the beautiful instrument.

“Hey, thanks - her name is Pearl. I'm Billy by the way.” Like Kim, his smile was welcoming and infectious. Spinning and pointing to the others on stage he introduced the other members of the band. Norton on drums, Borja, and finally, Rob - the man who'd been singing moments before. Looking up at the sound of his name, a small smile pulled at one corner of his face before he leaned back into his task; sound check resuming as the music began to play once again.

Back in the photo op room - music blaring from the speakers, Chris approached the computer you sat behind, camera in hand.

“Hey, c'mere a sec.”

Standing from the chair without taking your eyes from the screen - fully intent on finishing what you'd started- you didn't realize Chris was standing so close. Nearly tripping over his feet, you shoved him, his lanky frame rocking back on its heels as he pretended to be offended.

“Let's do some test shots, get metering established before things become too hectic. Here..”

Handing his camera out in your general direction, you weren't exactly sure what he was trying to get you to do.

“Dude, I don't shoot Leica, I have absolutely zero idea how to work with this.”

Chuckling under his breath, Chris followed you over to the other side of the room, one hand encircling your arm just shy of the backdrop. Lining his body flush with yours, he reached over your shoulder, pointing out the small nuances that made Leica different from your own set-up.

Thirty seconds into the crash course, the small touches began to distract you. How his fingers lingered over yours on the buttons of his camera and just how close he stood, his scent washing over you. If anything was a distraction, that would be it.

“Awesome, got it - thanks!” With a deep breath you spun, shoving the camera into his arms before striding for the hallway, throwing an excuse over your shoulder about needing to find some caffeine.

The air seemed fresher outside the room and [Y/F/N] took a moment to gather several lungfulls.

_“It's just Chris, what's wrong with you? Get a grip.”_

Muttering the mantra under your breath seemed to help you focus, and, after a moment to collect yourself, you set off down the hallway. It hadn't been an excuse to get some space, coffee was essential to function anymore. Perhaps it was all a placebo effect, but as long as worked, that's really all you cared about.

Spotting a familiar green sign, you joined the quickly growing queue. While this particular brand wasn't your favorite, it was still better than nothing.

Standing at the counter, adding cream and several sugars to the iced drink, you looked up as someone called your name.

Turning, you noticed the same man from earlier approaching. The one from the stage. Who'd been singing. Another deep breath and a smile quickly setting into place, you extended your hand - intent on shaking his and introducing yourself.

Instead, when he gripped your fingers, he brought them to his lips, the soft skin brushing across your knuckles briefly - those stunning blue eyes looking up at you from under a fringe of dark, thick lashes. Heat blossomed over your cheeks as he withdrew, drawing up to his full height of...huh, well, not as tall as he'd initially looked.

“Hey, I'm Rob - I uh..figured I should actually introduce myself...myself.” Raking a hand through his already disheveled hair had you relaxing immediately. Smiling at his nervous demeanor, you were quite surprised by how genuine he seemed in spite of himself.

Raising his own drink from the smooth wooden surface, he glanced around the open cafe, gesturing to a table in the corner.

“Wanna join me Y/F/N?” The look on his face was difficult to deny, and, so you accepted - pulling a chair over to sit on as you sipped at the coffee clutched in both hands.

“So, how do you wanna do this?” Rob's gaze roved over your features several times before settling on your face.

“Do..what exactly?” The puzzlement on your face must've been amusing. Rob chuckled, taking another sip of his drink.

“Chris mentioned you'd be helping this weekend - we've got some promotional stuff coming up. He said you'd be handling me..and I gotta say, I'm pretty happy with that.” The last few words were almost a growl, the challenging look in his eyes sending a shiver down your spine.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader stops for some coffee after her first encounter with Chris being a little awkward, running into Rob along the way.

**FOUR**

 

“Excuse me?” You replied, nearly choking on the sip of coffee that you had just taken.

You definitely noticed the surprise in your own voice as you were caught off guard not only by his words, but also by the way he sounded as he spoke to you.

“Chris said you’d be shooting some stuff for the band.”

“Oh, he did?” You looked at him, sort of puzzled that Chris hadn’t mentioned anything about this to you, but that he seemed so sure of it.

“Yeah…” he mused as he leaned back in his chair and eyed you curiously. “He did mention that to you, didn’t he?”

“I can’t say that he did.”

“Oh, well that’s not very fair, is it?”

“What did he say I was doing exactly?”

“He just said you were one of the best photographers he knows. Said he’d take a pass on shooting the promotional stuff and just hand the reins over to you.”

You watched him as he took a drink of his own coffee, waiting for more of an explanation but receiving none.

“Well, I suppose Chris and I have a lot to talk about,” you chuckled.

“Maybe you do.”

“So, I guess I’ll have to get back to you on how I’m going to… handle it,” you replied. “As soon as I know more about what it is exactly that I’m doing.”

“Well, regardless of Chris not mentioning it to you, I hope you really consider it.”

“Hmm,” you hummed in return. “Like I said, I’ll have to see what this job is first.”

“Fair enough,” he replied. “Tell me though, who are you anyway? Chris just sorta mentioned he had someone helping him out this weekend. He said you were an amazing photographer. How do you know each other? Because I’ve never seen you around at conventions before, and trust me, I would recognize you.”

“We go way back,” you explained, trying to ignore the way he was staring at you and the fact that his voice dropped and growled as he said those last words. 

You could be misreading this, but it was almost as if he were checking you out and making it obvious that he was flirting.

“He’s been my mentor for years. We met at a convention, not one of these ones obviously; but he liked my work and we’ve kept in touch. We mostly email a lot; I ask a lot of questions and he helps me out. Mostly, I get hired on for other cons. Chris has been an amazing help through my career, so we’ve stayed friends.”

“So, it’s a strictly business relationship?” He asked almost hopefully.

You internally laughed at the way he straightened up in his chair, leaning in ever so slightly toward you as he asked.

“Yeah…” you replied carefully. “And a friendship I suppose.”

“Well, that’s good.” 

You caught a hint of a grin pull up on his lips and you realized that you were intrigued by the man and whatever he was doing right now. It was as if he was expressing interest in you, but cautiously. Even that low growl in his voice that showed up every now and then left you wondering. Yet, he was already sinking back in his chair, appearing a bit more unsure of himself before you could get a word out.

“Tell me something,” you began, attempting to ease him a little bit. “Why are you here? I mean, I’ve been listening to your band for a while now, and I can’t quite figure out why you’re playing conventions like this.”

“Do you even watch the show?” He laughed. 

He cocked an eyebrow at you as if to challenge you as he took a drink of his coffee.

“I have, yes.”

“I feel like I should be offended that you don’t recognize me then.”

“Wait… are you on the show?”

“Ding, ding, ding,” he teased.

You studied him, trying to place who he was and why you were so terrible at recognizing him.

“We should probably talk,” he said, his lips still turned up in a smirk as he leaned closer to you again.

“Oh, god,” you muttered as soon as the realization hit you.

All it took was for him to utter that infamous line and you immediately placed him. How you had failed to recognize him as God of all characters was beyond you at this point. But, you did think to yourself that he definitely looked different from his character. Sure, Chuck was a favorite of yours, but Rob… Rob was devastatingly handsome. You noted the fact that his hair was grayer in real life, and then there was that white patch in his beard. The show obviously did no justice to how attractive he was in person.

“Well, you can call me Chuck.”

“I’m so sorry,” you said, embarrassed that you hadn’t connected him to his character. “Now I see it. I just- I was caught up on the fact that you’re the lead singer of one of my favorite bands… I didn’t even think that you could also be an actor.”

“Uh, one of your favorite bands, huh?”

“Honestly, I just happened upon you guys as I was putting music on my playlist a few years ago.”

“You know, most people hear about us because I’m on the show,” he pointed out. “It’s an interesting thing that you’re the opposite, especially since you like the show apparently.”

“I just- I’m a busy woman. I watch TV and I listen to music, but I don’t let them consume my life.”

“Well, I’m glad to know we have you as a fan, regardless of how you became one. And honestly, it’s nice to not be recognized sometimes.”

“You’re not offended?”

“Well, maybe a little.”

“Now I recognize you though,” you chuckled.

“And that’s strangely satisfying for me.”

He gave you a full smile this time, those blue eyes still watching your every move. For the first time during your conversation, you felt almost uncomfortable. Not because he made you uncomfortable, but because you definitely found him attractive and nice and you’d be working in close quarters with him this weekend.

You were both pulled from your brief moment of silence by your phone buzzing. You quickly retrieved it to read the message, thankful that someone was interrupting this moment. You were sure you were visibly blushing at the way he watched you, and you were eager for this to end. 

You excused yourself and opened the message from Chris. Obviously you had been gone for too long, and you had almost forgotten why you were here to begin with as you lost yourself in talking with Rob.

“I better get back to Chris,” you said almost regretfully.

“Was that him?”

“Hmm, yeah. I gotta remember that I’m here to work and not to play.”

You stood up from your chair, grabbing your bag and coffee so that you could make it back to the convention area quickly. You had lost track of time, and Chris was urging you to hurry back to get started.

“Not even a little?” Rob smirked.

“What?”

“I-I mean, yeah, you're here to work,” he stated, suddenly looking away from you as he began to pick at the sleeve on his coffee cup. His almost forward and flirty nature seemed to wash away as he turned nervous. Still, that didn’t keep him from saying things that made you wonder what he was up to. “Doesn't mean you can't… play a little.”

He was glanced up at you again; his words almost quiet and drawn out as if to emphasize that you should allow yourself to ‘play’ as well.

You felt your breath catch, unsure if you were reading this interaction right. That was definitely him flirting, you were sure of it, and you didn’t know the appropriate way to respond. 

“Work first though,” you replied, deciding upon the safest response that wouldn’t get you into trouble.

“You don't mix business and pleasure,” he pointed out.

“I didn't say that. But, I probably shouldn't sully name already by messing around. I know Chris has a lot to do, and I'm here to help.”

Rob cleared his throat and sat up a little straighter in his chair, the original air of almost-confidence that he had, completely gone now.

“We’re talking about you not being late, aren’t we?”

“Yeah,” you replied. “Don’t want to make myself look bad on the first day.”

“Well, Y/N, I think it will be impossible for you to look bad.”

You gave him a honest smile and excused yourself again. This time, he nodded at you before you walked away.

You stopped briefly just at the exit, just to turn and look back at him. He hadn't watched you leave as you almost expected him to based on the way he kept his eyes on you through your conversation. You felt slightly disappointed. After all, it was nice to have a good-looking man sort of hit on you, even if he was a bit bad at it.

Once you had left Rob, you had a moment to breathe. That entire exchange had you thrown for a loop. Sure, you had been hit on by a lot of men before, but the thing about Rob was that it was so subtle, you began to wonder if you were just reading into it wrong. He was almost awkward about the things he said, often slipping into a look of complete regret once the words left his mouth.

Perhaps the man was just being friendly and you were overthinking it. Regardless of whether or not he was flirting, you knew you had to work with him as well this weekend. It was probably best not to even think about testing him a bit more, just to see. 

You picked up your pace as you headed down the long corridor. You felt bad for making Chris wait, especially on your first day helping him. 

  
  


A line of fans waited outside of the room as the two of you set up just before the first round of photo ops was about to begin, you decided to ask about the thing Rob had mentioned to you. It was weird that he had been the one to bring it up, but Chris never even said a thing about it. You weren’t mad, but you just wanted clarification.

“So, were you ever going to tell me that you volunteered me for some job with the band?”

“Ah, I was going to tell you,” he smiled. “I was going to wait until later. Thought we could discuss it over dinner.”

“Dinner?” You asked.

You narrowed your eyes at him, unsure of why he would want to wait to talk to you about it and why it had to be done over dinner.

“Yeah, dinner. You do eat don’t you.”

“Of course.”

“I recommended you for a job,” he explained. “But, there won’t be a lot of time to go into details about it right now. I just figured we could go eat and have drinks, relax after our jobs here are done for the day, and talk about it then. If that’s okay with you.”

“Um, yeah,” you replied. “That sounds like a plan.”

You chuckled to yourself, almost embarrassed yet again by your reaction to Chris mentioning having dinner together. Your mind had immediately went to guys asking you out on dinner dates and you knew you shouldn’t just assume that every man was like that. 

This would be a business dinner. Nothing more. Besides, you truly enjoyed talking to Chris; and while your relationship had always been professional and kept mainly to emails and the occasional phone call, you really did think of him as a friend. Honestly, it might be nice to get to know him better over a friendly dinner.

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader's first day of working the convention goes off without a hitch..kind of.

**FIVE**

The two of you chatted for several more minutes, mostly about nothing. The weather. Chris’ latest trip to Iceland. How the Supernatural cons were unlike anything he’d ever seen before.  
  
“You’ll see [Y/F/N], the people here are kinder to each other and so much more supportive. Watch what happens when someone becomes emotional at seeing their favorite actor. Notice how everyone in the room immediately lends strength and encouragement to their fellow family member.”  
  
The thought of people around you being so supportive of each other was new. Most of the bigger conventions you’d attended were made up of cliques. Rarely did they mingle with each other, and the hate and judgmental comments you’d both seen and received from a community that supposedly had similar interests was astounding. While skeptical, you remained hopeful that this weekend would be different.  
  
“Wait, you said ‘fellow family member’ – wouldn’t family automatically look out for one another?” “Wait..no, never mind – mine doesn’t.”

Laughing at the end to take the sting from the words, you began rummaging through the camera bag sitting at your feet; missing the look on Chris’ face as he watched.  
  
The murmur of voices in the hallway grew louder as people began hovering in the open doorway. Pulling a silver foil packet from the pocket of his hoodie, Chris popped two pieces of gum into his mouth before offering you some.

 

“Ready?”

The look in his eye was mischievous and full of laughter – calming you almost immediately. Why you were nervous, you had no idea. This was just a job after all.  
  
With a deep breath, your head tilted in acquiescence “let’s do this!”  
  
Nodding towards the handler who stood in the doorway, Chris then turned to pick up his own camera. Immediately the energy was different from your normal events - bodies danced to the music flowing through Chris’ speakers; others stood in line patiently, their eyes bight and smiles wide.  
  
Several people waved to him, and he’d wave or wink at them in return. For the first time since you’d started photographing conventions, there seemed to be no tension or awkwardness in the room. You wondered if that was something unique to this fandom or if the chill atmosphere simply radiated off Chris and affected the experience in a similar fashion. Making a mental note to ask him that exact question over dinner, your musing was cut short as the band walked in.  
  
Looking over the schedule earlier that morning, it hadn’t taken long to memorize the short list of offerings for the day. Swain group photos were first, followed very quickly by Rob’s solos, Rich and Rob duos and something called a ‘Station Breaks.’  
  
“Chris, what’s a station break?” The question was almost a mumble. Fiddling with the aperture and ISO settings on the Canon body in your grip, it took a moment for you to notice that he hadn't heard you.

He was in his element. Fans whirred noiselessly on either side of the set-up, and you watched, mesmerized as people filed through the line. At an average convention the actors might hug the people who paid to see them - though for the most part you'd seen only the standard ‘put your hand on my shoulder ‘ awkward posing. Not here. While the majority of the people in line opted for simple hugs, the embraces were different. They seemed more...real - for lack of a better word.

The next person in line strolled confidently up to the boys of Louden Swain and greeted them like old friends. Moving to the middle of the group, the woman reached out, lacing her fingers with Rob on one side and Mike on the other. Fixing her eyes on Chris, she nodded towards him to signal she was ready.

He must've understood exactly what she had planned. Planting his feet squarely beneath him, Chris nodded to one of the handlers who stepped forward, raising three fingers into the air. Folding one down into her fist, you snuck a quick glance at Chris before turning your attention back to the woman standing next to him. She now held just one finger up. The band, along with the person standing between them had eyes only for her. Instead of tucking the last finger into her hand, as she had with the others, she pointed towards the group, “Now!”

Whipping your head to re-focus on them, your jaw would've hit the floor had it not been attached. At the signal, the five of them jumped into the air, Chris leaned forward, snapped the photo mid-motion and was laughing as they all landed back on their feet. Totaling maybe ten seconds, you were amazed at how efficient these pictures were, all while sacrificing no quality.

Several other creative poses later, the last person stepped up to the group with her back turned to the camera. Quickly explaining her vision, she then turned and smiled at Chris, motioning for him to join her.

With a quick nod, he turned to you, “you're up [Y/F/N]!” Immediately the nerves were back, what if you messed everything up? You'd never forgive yourself.

“Uhh, I don't know, Chris..” the apprehension flickering in your eyes wasn't lost on him.

Closing the distance between you in two long strides, he fixed you with a look of incredulity, “you'll be great, you do this all the time!”

Clapping his hands for emphasis, he sauntered over to the group, that same ridiculously happy smile on his face.

A deep breath, and three seconds later, you were done. You don't even remember stepping forward to snap the picture.

Squeezing the shoulder of the woman who'd beckoned him into her photo, he threw her a quick smile before turning back to face you. As he approached, the tails of his overshirt flew open with the breeze from the nearest fan, washing you in the smell of his cologne. Leather and orange spices swirled together with delicate notes of lavender, while the unmistakable overlay of patchouli exuded warmth and an exotic flair.

Other than the brief widening of your eyes, you felt as if you'd hid your reaction well. Damn if he didn't smell wonderful.

And then the fucker winked. At you. Why were your cheeks flushed all of a sudden? Diverting your eyes from his gaze, you found yourself staring at your shoes like you were fourteen again.

“See? You did great. No biggie, right?”

Throwing one arm around your shoulders, the man towering over you squeezed briefly before turning to resume his work.

The rest of the day passed in a blur, nearly a thousand people passed through the room, almost a quarter of them smiling into your lenses while Chris stood in on their poses or took a break. The only constant was his expression. He watched you while you worked, half the time when he thought you weren't paying attention.

The answer to your earlier question was made clear when Rob, Jason and Billy filed into the room - Mike and Stephen nowhere to be seen.

  
*****  
  
He’d forgotten she was here.  
  
Walking into the room, Rob hastily shoved the phone his nose had been buried in only moments before into the small front pocket of the distressed grey denim clinging to his legs.  
  
She seemed different than she had earlier. More relaxed maybe. He smiled, the grin tugging at one corner of his mouth, almost involuntarily. She saw him then, her [Y/E/C] irises dancing with light. Waving in his direction, her own smile was bright on her face.  
  
Inwardly, his brain was screaming at him. But logic and affairs of the heart are often mutually exclusive. Right now the only thing Rob could hear was the heavy thud of his heartbeat as it echoed through his mind. Logic be damned. He was in trouble.

Tearing his eyes away from [Y/F/N], he genuinely tried to be completely present for the handful of fans who had pictures with him. He adored the people who made him feel like he actually mattered – which was something he struggled with more often than he cared to admit.  
After the last group had filed from the room, he turned, fully intending on stealing a few minutes of [Y/F/N's] time. Her back was to him, she looked to be busy putting her equipment away.

“Heya [Y/F/N]..do uh..can I bother ya for a sec?” Although he played at being bashful and awkward it was usually just that - but this felt different somehow.

****

Turning at the sound of your name, you started across the room to Rob.

“Ready for that dinner, [Y/F/N]?”

Stopping in your tracks, you turned to Chris, “sure, gimme twenty? I wanna change real fast - maybe bring my things to my room as well?”

Nodding, Chris turned back to finish his own packing while you spun to face Rob. If you didn't know any better, you'd have sworn his cheerful expression faltered for a moment. But then, maybe you were imagining things.

“Dinner?!”

There was a squeak to his voice, a small cough quickly disguising the difference in tone.

“Yeah, Chris just wants to go over some stuff for this weekend I think.” Shrugging, you added “and we haven't seen each other in awhile, it'll be nice to catch up.”

Rob's eyes flicked up to meet Chris’ intense blue stare. The man leaned against one of the tables, arms crossed over his chest. If Rob hadn't known better he'd have sworn the look on Chris’ face was smug.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris has every intention of making sure that Reader knows he's interested in her as more than just friends. He also is aware of the fact that Rob is interested in her as well. Unwilling to back down just because his friend seems to like the same girl, Chris knows he needs to make his move before Rob gets a chance to.

**SIX**

“What did you need?” You asked.

Rob pulled his focus away from Chris and back to you as you spoke.

“Oh, uh, n-nothing,” Rob stuttered in return. “I was actually going to ask if you wanted to grab a drink. You know, since our coffee date went so well.”

“Date?”

“Not a date,” he replied, laughing off his wording. “I just meant, I enjoyed talking with you this morning. Thought it would be nice to do it again. But, uh, I guess you have plans.”

“Yeah, dinner with Chris,” you said. “A… business dinner.”

“Yeah? Just work related stuff then?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool. Well, maybe I’ll take a rain check on drinks?”

“I think that’s a good idea,” you chuckled. “Another time maybe.”

Your heart sort of skipped a beat by his offer. It had been a long time since anyone had shown you any interest, and you weren’t sure if that’s what this was exactly, or if it was just him honestly wanting to hang out as friends.

Either way, you were flattered. Rob was a good-looking, seemingly kind man who was insanely talented. What girl wouldn’t be flattered by a man like him inviting her out to drinks? Honestly, you were a little disappointed that Chris had chose tonight to have dinner. Yes, you liked Chris and you really valued his friendship. But having drinks with the lead singer of your favorite band sounded a lot more fun than having a work related dinner with a friend.

Still, you couldn’t flake on Chris since he had been the one to land you this gig that you were thoroughly enjoying.

“Well, I gotta go get ready for dinner,” you said. “But, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I look forward to it,” Rob smiled.

You couldn’t help but smile in return. He seemed so awkward but completely adorable every time you spoke to him.

“I’ll meet you in the lobby in an hour?” Chris cut in suddenly.

You looked over to him, sort of embarrassed that he had obviously overheard your short conversation with Rob.

“Yeah, sounds perfect,” you replied.

You glanced at Rob again, nodding to him before heading toward the exit.

***

Chris watched her leave before quickly looking back to Rob, who also happened to be watching her as she left. He realized that Rob had definitely just asked her out. Luckily, she had basically turned him down, but that didn’t stop him from knowing that he really needed to make a move in some way tonight.

It wasn’t that he thought Rob really stood a chance, and his friend obviously didn’t know that he was interested in Y/N anyway. But, the fact that Y/N liked Rob’s band, and the fact that Rob was always a hit with women, made him a bit anxious.

Trying not to make himself too obvious, he went back to putting away his gear, pretending as if he hadn’t just witnessed that moment between her and Rob. Besides, if Rob really was interested in Y/N, he would definitely ask Chris about her because that’s just how Rob worked. Hopefully, he wouldn’t though. Hopefully, Chris was just reading the interactions between Rob and Y/N all wrong.

“Hey, Chris… can I talk to you?”

Ding, ding, ding. There it was. Rob really wasted no time this go round. Chris held back a smile as he looked up to see his friend standing anxiously in front of him across the table.

Any sliver of doubt that he might have had that Rob seemed to be interested in Y/N faded away at this point. Obviously he was into her. And he was about to try to get some sort of intel on her from the one friend that she had here.

“What’s up?” Chris asked casually, still focused on putting away his gear.

“Um, maybe it’s none of my business or whatever… but I was just curious about what the deal is between you and Y/N.”

Chris smirked to himself, shaking his head slightly at his friends question. This was just like Rob. He was a good man, but he always managed to attach himself to women who were unavailable. Not that Y/N wasn’t available, but Chris had decided some time ago that this would be the weekend he made his move on her finally. It was obvious that she liked him too, why wouldn’t she say yes to the possibility of being with him as more than friends?

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I know you two are friends or whatever, but I just need to know if it’s more than that.”

“Are you interested in her?” Chris asked.

Rob swallowed hard, his eyes flicking away from his friends briefly.

He was. Chris could tell. It had a lot to do with the way he acted around her and the way he looked at her when she entered a room.

“Well, I mean, she’s really cute. She seems super interesting. But, I didn’t wanna make anything of it if she was seeing my friend.”

_‘Oh, Rob,’_ Chris thought to himself. _‘Don’t do this, buddy.’_

Chris took note of how uncomfortable Rob seemed. It was just like him to let pretty girls turn him into this awkward mess that he tended to be.

At the same time, a hint of jealousy surged through Chris. The problem was that he was pretty sure that Rob knew what he was doing. He had seen it often. The way he turned into a blushing, stuttering mess when attractive women approached him. The way he’d catch anyone’s interest just by being adorable and charming. Chris wasn’t so sure if it really was just the way Rob was anymore. He mostly assumed that Rob knew how to use all of that to his advantage by now.

He could have lied. He could have easily said that he and Y/N were something, but he also didn’t want that harmless lie to catch up to him someday if, by chance, there was something there between the two of them.

He cocked his head, studying Rob for a moment before deciding that he was probably harmless in this situation. He honestly didn’t seem like Y/N’s type at all, and from what he knew of her, she didn’t seem like she was interested much in dating celebrities. There had been a few email exchanges in the past in which she complained about how entitled and gross most actors and musicians were.

Chris never got full stories about those run ins, but from what he gathered, she had been hit on plenty of times by the talent she worked with, and was never impressed.

“We’re friends,” he said finally. “Like I said, I’ve known her for a long time.”

“Yeah, yeah, I knew that,” Rob said quickly. “But I mean like, I don’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s feeling if I maybe ask her to dinner or something, right?”

“Look, Rob,” Chris sighed in return. Already he was annoyed. He wasn’t the kind of guy that Y/N wanted or needed. “No offense, but you’re not really her type.”

“Really?” Rob asked.

He folded his arms over his chest now, his face turned up in what Chris could only describe as displeasure. He watched the almost hopeful look in his eyes fade into disappointment, and honestly, Chris felt bad about that.

This had been the first time in a long time that Rob even expressed interest in someone since his last relationship had failed magnificently just months ago. Chris felt a little bad. He wanted nothing more than for Rob to find a nice woman who treated him well. God knows they had all seen plenty of his interests string him along only to crush him later on. He was too nice, too caring, and too trustworthy.

Maybe someday he’d put some effort into helping his friend find someone worth his time. He knew people that he could set Rob up with. He knew people who could be very good to Rob.

But, Y/N… Y/N wasn’t someone that he was willing to give up on just because one of his friends was interested too. He had never met someone else who was so perfect for him, and he wanted to see if there could be something there. Besides, Rob had nothing in common with her, and although he didn’t know Y/N as well as he said he did, he was pretty sure Rob wasn’t her type.

“Look,” Chris continued, “She’d worked with a lot of talent. A lot of actors, sometimes musicians… I’ve listened to her complain about men like you often.”

First of all, that was a lie. Yes, she had maybe pointed it out in emails that some actors were trash, but there was never a time when she said she’d never be interested in one.

“Just- she’s a nice girl. She works hard and she’s really focused on her photography. I just don’t think someone like you really stands a chance with someone like her.”

“Someone like me?” Rob asked, looking more and more hurt the more that Chris lied. “You know me. We’re friends. Are you saying I’m a bad guy?”

“Not at all. You’re one of the best guys I know, and I really do hope you find someone good for you someday. But, Y/N… she’s not the one.”

Rob looked surprised by Chris’ words and Chris felt a little bad. But, maybe he needed to hear that not every woman he was interested in would always be interested in return.

“Besides, didn’t you ask her out just now?” He continued. “Sounded to me like she kinda shot you down.”

Rob pulled back slightly.

“I mean, she said we’d take a rain check on drinks…”

“Yeah, well, maybe you’re right,” Chris shrugged. “Or maybe that’s just a nice girls’ way of saying no.”

Based on the way Rob looked at him, he wasn’t so sure that he had convinced him to not waste his time. Instead, Chris gathered a bit of resentment from his friend.

Rob still stood there with his arms crossed protectively over his chest, almost glaring at him.

“Well,” Chris began, attempting to break the tenseness in the air that had developed quickly between the two. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a dinner to get ready for.”

He hadn’t meant to sound so braggy about it, especially to Rob of all people; but something had been brought out in him that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He felt it was necessary to remind Rob that he had no place here. He felt surprisingly territorial of Y/N and, in turn, the jerk in him seemed to rearing its ugly head. He really just needed Rob to back off, and maybe it was a little fun to remind him that he was already winning. Not that this was a competition, but based on the way Rob stared him down, he was afraid it could easily turn into just that.

***

You sort of wished you had under-dressed when you found Chris downstairs. To be fair, he hadn’t specified where you were having dinner and exactly what this dinner was about. All you knew is that he had a lot of explaining to do over the apparent job he had volunteered you for with the band.

“Y/N,” Chris breathed out when you approached him. “You look amazing.”

“Yeah, well, I clean up okay sometimes,” you laughed.

He escorted you out to dinner, being a complete gentleman by making sure that he held doors open for you and even pulling your chair out for you to sit when you got to the restaurant.

You were relieved that he chose a pretty casual steak place for dinner. First of all, you were starving and you could never turn down a really good steak; and secondly, you didn’t feel as much pressure anymore knowing that he wasn’t choosing to take you to some high-end place in an attempt to try to impress you.

Perhaps you had been feeling a bit weird about having dinner with him for no reason at all. Even if you had thought it felt as if he were expecting this to be a date, you now thought that you had overreacted. This was just a dinner between friends to discuss work.

“What kind of wine do you drink?”

“I thought this was a business dinner,” you said, a playful grin forming on your lips as Chris chuckled.

“Well, it is. But I also thought we could talk. You know, old friends just catching up. Do you not drink wine?”

“Yeah, you’re right. It’s been a long time. And, I do enjoy a glass of wine with old friends.”

“It really is so good to see you,” he began. “I know you’ve been busy, and I’ve been busy… but we really should’ve had this dinner a long time ago.”

The two of you slipped easily into conversation that night. You shared work stories, discussed some of your recent shoots, and even talked candidly about your lives away from photography.

I’m many ways, you felt that photography consumed your life. You knew you were a bore to your other friend because you usually only talked about your work. In truth, it was a huge part of your life and you were grateful to have at least one person who understood its importance enough to talk with you about it for hours on end. But, it was also nice for you and Chris to get to know each other a bit more as you discussed things that weren’t centered around taking photos.

After dinner was eaten and conversation topics had run out, you remembered now why you had agreed to this dinner to begin with. You finally pressed him for more information about this job that he had signed you up for without your knowledge.

You feigned annoyance over the fact that he hadn’t consulted with you first, but you were actually honored that he had thought of you for something like this. The fact that they were your favorite band sort of sweetened the deal. Still, you needed more details than just, ‘hey, I volunteered you to shoot some promo stuff for this band.’”

“You’re an amazing talent, Y/N. I always shoot promo for the guys. I’ve done a lot of portrait work for them, done a lot of their album photography, and I’m always happy to do it. They’re some of the most talented people I know. So, when they started working on their new album, naturally, they came to me and I said yes. But, I got to thinking about it after you agreed to coming here to help out… and I think that you should take this one.”

“Me?”

“I just- look, don’t get me wrong, your convention photography is amazing. You never cease to amaze me. But the stuff you do best is your portrait work.”

“I’ve hardly done any portrait work.”

“I know. But the stuff you have done, especially the stuff you shot at Comic Con this year, that’s where your true talent is. You have a way with showing people for who they really are. You’re able to capture them in just the right moment… the moments of complete happiness or extreme vulnerability. I know that if seeing a portrait of someone makes me feel something, then the person capturing those moments is a remarkable talent. I thought this would be a great opportunity for you to do more of that kind of work.”

You stared down at the table, feeling yourself blush over the way Chris never failed to make you feel this way. It had always been important to you to make him proud, if only because you respected him so much and you truly valued his opinions of you. Knowing that he thought of your work this way made you proud of yourself.

“How do the guys feel about you handing over the reigns to someone they don’t know?”

“They’re fine with it. Well, they were after I showed them your portfolio. They’re excited to work with you.”

“Okay,” you smiled. “Thank you for thinking of me, and I would be so honored to do this.”

“It’ll be really good to add to your portfolio,” he explained. “Maybe we can get you some more portrait work with some of the others this weekend. They love to be photographed.”

“Maybe we can set up something with one of the girls too,” he continued. “Briana is a great subject and she likes to give photographers opportunities to shoot her. I’ll see if I can’t get you a few minutes with her.”

“I don’t want to come into this expecting anything,” you argued. “Really, you don’t have to bother anyone on my behalf. I’m sure they’ve all been photographed by a lot of great photographers, I mean, they have you. I’m nothing special here. Don’t go out of your way to get me opportunities. I’m just happy to be here.”

“You’re amazing. And don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.”

“I don’t let anyone tell me otherwise.”

Chris smiled at you, chuckling slightly as he nodded in agreement.

He knew all too well. If there was one thing that Chris had given you in all these years of knowing him, it was a backbone.

You recalled back to shortly after you met him. You were still starting out in the business and you often looked to him for moral support. You’d send him photos to critique and you were surprised by how blunt and honest he was with you at first. He never held back at letting you know if a photo was out of focus, if it had bad lighting, if the subject was boring, or if your editing sucked.

It would upset you sometimes, and you used to go back to these photos and work at making them better, anything to gain his approval.

One day, you sent him a portrait that you had been so proud of, mostly just to show off to him. He had replied to you days later with a long list of critiques, basically telling you that this wasn’t your best work.

Instead of getting upset and immediately going back to tire away at fixing something that you felt was perfect, you replied with your own critique of him. You let him know that you felt this photo was perfect and beautiful and that you didn’t need his thoughts on it at all. You had created something powerful that you were proud of, and if he couldn’t see that, then maybe his opinion didn’t matter to you after all.

The next time he replied, it was with a simple, ‘You’re right. This is perfect and beautiful and you don’t need my approval or critiques. Just do what makes you feel something, Y/N. I promise you’re on the right track.’

That was it. Just an agreement that you had produced something to be proud of. In the end, Chris had taught you that the approval of others when it came to any art form didn’t matter. Although you valued his opinions, they certainly weren’t the end all in your work. As long as you felt something and captured people in ways that meant something, you were doing just fine.

Ever since that exchange, photography became easier for you. It had become something that you truly enjoyed. It wasn’t work. It really was an art form that you realized you could immerse yourself in completely now. Most importantly, you learned to go with your gut and to not seek out criticism and assurance.

“And I am so proud of you for that,” Chris said softly. “You never needed my approval- anyone’s approval- and I’m glad I helped you realize that. That being said, will you please allow me to go on and on about how amazing you are to my friends? Will you let me get you as many opportunities as I can while you’re here to do some great work? I know you don’t want to bother anyone, but trust me, you’re not going to. Everyone here loves art and creators. They’re happy to work with talent if their schedules allow it.”

“I mean, as long as I’m not taking up anyone’s time, I’m happy to take all the jobs I can get if it helps out my portfolio.”

“Then I’ll talk to some of the others and see if anyone would be interested in letting you do a shoot with them.”

“That would be really great,” you said honestly. “You’re doing so much for me as it is… I appreciate it so much. Thank you again.”

“Hey, I gotta look out for my little protege,” he smiled.

“I’m excited to do this,” you grinned in return. “I can’t… I can’t thank you enough.”

“Then stop,” he said jokingly. “Really, you don’t have to thank me. I’d do anything for you.”

You raised your brows at him, interested in what he meant by that.

Your eyes found his and he looked intensely at you from across the table, those icy eyes studying you in way that you weren’t used to with him.

You could be wrong, but during the last couple of days, you sort of felt as if Chris might be behaving unusually flirty with you. Generally, your exchanges over the phone and through email were always innocent and jokey, but being around him face to face; he seemed to give off a different vibe.

He noted your curiosity over his comment and changed the subject quickly when he realized what he had said.

“Hey, you ever shoot concerts?” He asked.

“No, I haven’t. I never even have time to go to concerts,” you replied.

“I think you’ll be really good at that as well.”

“Are you volunteering me for another job?” You teased.

“Just an opportunity,” he smiled.

***

Chris walked you back to your room when you got back to the hotel. You tried to tell him it wasn’t necessary, but it turned out that you were staying on the same floor anyway.

“Besides, I wouldn’t feel right letting you walk alone this late at night,” he had argued.

So, you gratefully accepted his offer, the two of you walking in silence as you fumbled with your key as you approached your room.

“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said as he stopped with you at your hotel room door. “Bright an early.”

“I’ll be there.”

“It’s a big day,” he continued. “The guys have a short window of free time in the afternoon, so you’ll get your moment for that shoot, but it’s pretty time restrictive. You’ll have to be quick.”

“Well, not that I need a reason to be nervous now or anything,” you chuckled.

“You’ll do great. I can’t be there with you, or else I’d offer to be emotional support or whatever, but I have no doubt you’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, I have no doubts either,” you assured him. “Thank you again.”

“My pleasure.”

He looked at you as silence washed over the moment. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, you found that you couldn’t look away from him even if you wanted to. Chris himself didn’t make you uncomfortable. You adored him and trusted him completely. The uncomfortable feeling stemmed from the fact that he had been different with you tonight, and you were almost certain that this was about to lead to something that you honestly didn’t know if you were quite ready for.

Just as you expected, he leaned down ever so slightly, his face dangerously close to yours as he paused just briefly as if to give you the chance to push him away. He didn’t touch you, and he kept himself at a distance briefly just to allow you to have control over what was happening right now. Maybe you should have pushed him away. Maybe you should have stopped him. After all, you were friends, and now, you were basically co-workers.

But, some part of you, deep down, sort of wanted him to kiss you. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t want to know what it would be like. You had always found him attractive, and more importantly, very fascinating. The two of you had so much in common and conversation was easy between you.

There was also the fact that you hadn’t dated in a very long time, and the idea of a successful, handsome man wanting to kiss you was intriguing.

So, you didn’t stop him. Instead, you waited. You waited for him to continue with whatever it was that he was hinting at right now.

Chris read your cues easily, deciding it was okay to make his move. He closed the gap between you, pressing his lips against yours gently.

You immediately felt something; but you weren’t sure if it was excitement or just anxiety over having him kiss you like this. Regardless of your confusion, you went for it.

He kept is chaste, and you appreciated that he hadn’t gone for a complete makeout session right now. It was nice to just feel his lips pressing softly against yours, not having to worry about it getting too heated.

It only lasted a second, and when he pulled back, he smiled at you as he reached up to run his thumb gently against your cheek.

You had stopped breathing for a moment, and only started back up at him as he told you good night.

You curiously watched him as he turned and walked away from you. That had been the most innocent kiss you had ever had, and he had weirdly just said good night and left as if it were nothing. You reached up and touched your lips, still feeling the tingle from that kiss. You couldn’t decide if you should be offended or intrigued right now.


	7. Chapter 7

Going through the motions of getting ready for bed was something you’d never paid a lot of attention to. Tonight, certainly hadn’t changed that. If anything, you were more distracted as the events of the evening played on an endless loop in your mind.

Changing into cotton sleep pants and a tank top, you wandered into the bathroom to remove your makeup and brush your teeth.

  
Was tonight a date then? When you’d agreed to having dinner with Chris, you’d assumed it was strictly business. Or at the very most, a friendly get together between friends.

Pulling the covers back, you slid between the cool sheets of the firm hotel mattress. Creation had sprung for a room at the convention hotel – something you definitely weren’t used to. Normally, when working an event, the logistics of transportation and sleeping arrangements was left to you. Having it taken care of in advance was a nice gesture. Maybe Chris had been responsible.  
  
Chris.  
  
*****  
  
At the opposite end of the hallway, the man in question sat at the edge of his own bed, huddled over the phone clutched in one hand. He’d written and re-written a goodnight text to [Y/F/N] several times. Why was this so difficult? Conversation had always flowed easily between them.  
  
Dinner had been comfortable. But, the kiss? The kiss hadn’t been planned. It had, however, felt right. His original intention over dinner was to catch up with a friend, and maybe hint at his developing feelings. While hesitant, he’d given her the opportunity to control the situation. She too, had been careful. Still, that seed was now planted and Chris wondered if she was thinking about him as much as he was thinking about her.  
  
Maybe it was his knowledge that Rob was starting to show interest, maybe it was the fact that he’d had a growing crush on [Y/F/N] for years. Either way, he was both fearing and looking forward to what the morning would bring.

Taking the safe route, he typed out a quick text and set his alarm before switching off the bedside lamp. Throwing himself, still fully clothed, face-down on top of the blankets, Chris pulled a pillow towards his body. Burying his face into the cotton fabric, he did his best to clear his mind of the idea of what it might be like to have [Y/F/N] in his life on a regular basis.

The following morning [Y/F/N] pulled herself out of bed, sleep having eluded her most of the night. Rummaging through her suitcase, the pair of skinny jeans and Foo Fighters shirt on top of the pile worked well enough. Padding barefoot over to the mini-fridge in the corner of her room, she thumbed through the individual packets of coffee and tea, settling for a strong cup of earl-grey. While waiting for the water to heat in the small coffee machine, she allowed her mind to wander. When thoughts became coherent she was abruptly reminded of the previous night. Apprehension prickled across her skin, the tiny hairs on her arms standing at attention as waves of goosebumps flowed over them. Finding a small container of half and half in the refrigerator, you stood mesmerized as the liquid swirled through the dark caffeine.

When you’d finished getting ready and had gathered your camera bag, you took a deep breath, squared your shoulders and pulled open the hotel room door. Today would be fine. You’d made the conscious decision to treat today like any other, one kiss wouldn’t change anything…right?

The walk to the elevator was quiet, the steady hum of the ice-machine keeping you company while you waited. Once on the bottom floor, the doors opened to a sea of people. The energy level in the lobby was immense, their excited conversations making you feel right at home. The bustle of the crowd was something that, ten years ago, would have terrified you. Spending the last decade of your life traveling to conventions that were twice this size had gradually made you more comfortable around people. Thinking back to the extreme introvert you’d been at your first show, you laughed to yourself. While you still valued quiet time spent binging shows on Netflix, you also now really loved being in the thick of things.  
  
Weaving through the sea of bodies, the photo op room straight ahead, your comfortable confidence turned quickly to embarrassment when you tripped over an abandoned duffel bag. Having purposefully hugged the wall to stay out of the way, it was doubly embarrassing. Watching, dismayed, as the paper cup clutched in one hand flew out of your grip and landed on the polished wooden floor, you threw your arms out in front of you, squeezing your eyes shut. Tense, you prepared to hit the ground.  
  
Cautiously, you cracked open an eye when you didn’t immediately collide with the hard surface that was now covered in tea. Blinking first at the puddle on the ground and then glancing towards the small group of people who’d seen what was about to happen and had stopped to help, the narrow fingers wrapped around your upper arm took a moment to register. Solidly back on your feet, you turned to find Rob standing behind you, concern written across his face.  
  
“Hey [Y/F/N], are you alright?!” his blue eyes scanned your body for any hint of injury, and, satisfied that nothing was amiss, he released your arm. Of course, it had to be Rob who’d witnessed just how uncoordinated you could be.  
  
Heat colored your cheeks as you nodded, trying your best to not draw attention to yourself. “Yeah, I’m good. Clumsy maybe, but that’s nothing new..” With a disgruntled sigh, you moved to clean up the mess your cup had caused. “My poor tea.” You’d really been looking forward to it too. Looking up from the floor when Rob kneeled to offer his help, you reached out, covering his hand with yours, “I’ll get this. I’m sure you have other places to be.” “Thank you though.”  
  
“Well, if you’re sure you’re okay…? I’ll see you later?” Nodding, you watched as he rose to his feet, turning once to look back over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner.  
  
Twenty minutes later you’d finally made your way to work, apologizing to Chris for being late. He didn’t seem to mind, a careless wave his only response before resuming his set-up. As with the day before, people began lining up outside the door before the first ops were scheduled. Busying yourself with preparing your camera, you didn’t notice Rob walk in from across the room.  
  
“Hello again [Y/F/N], you sure you’re okay?” Glancing up from where he stood nearby, Chris’ face filled with confusion, “why wou–what happened?” As earlier, with Rob, you waved off his distress. “Nothing happened, just me being my normal awkward self.” Shooting him a quick smile as a sign of reassurance, you turned to thank Rob again for his concern.  
  
“Here…I, uh, I got you this.” He carried two cups, one now held out in your direction. What transpired next might’ve been embarrassing had you stopped to think about it. Skirting the table you stood behind, you were vaguely aware of some noise of excitement leaving your body - eyes lighting up with appreciation. A quick press of your lips to his cheek left him blushing, the fingers of his free hand traveling up to linger over the spot. “You’re a life-saver, thank you!” Turning with the cup in your hand, you raised it to take a long swallow - the warm liquid comforting with its notes of lavender and bergamot.  
  
“Really, it was no trouble - I figured if you were anything like me, not having your morning caffeine wasn’t really an option.” Placing the cup securely at the back of the table, where it couldn’t possibly spill, you missed the calculating look Chris shot at Rob.  
  
Several hours passed without further incident, and you were really beginning to enjoy yourself. While normal conventions were fun, the feeling of absolute inclusivity and the interactions between guests and their fans at these Supernatural specific events really couldn’t be beat.  
  
Suddenly ravenous, you glanced up at the line of people waiting for pictures with Misha. There looked to be about twenty left; the last several of them having made it into the room. Having looked at the schedule, you knew that a break for lunch was imminent.  
  
After the last person filed out of the space, Misha ducked through a side door, one of his favorite tricks in the ever - entertaining game of conveniently losing his handler.  
  
The poor woman had stepped out of the room for an entire fifteen seconds, and had now returned to see her charge missing in action. Curling one hand into a shaking fist at her side, you looked to make sure she was okay as you started walking towards the door.  
  
“I’m gonna go try and find some food, did you want to come?”  
  
The question was directed at Chris, who’d spent the first half of the day being his normal, flirty self. Nothing seemed to have changed in his behavior after the kiss last night and you weren’t sure if that was because it hadn’t meant anything to him or if it had and he was waiting for you to decide on where this was going… whatever ‘this’ was.  
  
“I’ve actually got some snacks stashed away in my bag, but feel free to take as long as you need.”  
  
Chris’ eyes flicked across the room to where Misha’s handler had composed herself in an impressively short amount of time. “I swear, that man is such a child!” Shaking her head, she leaned into the wide metal bar that stretched across the door, disappearing through the opening after waving goodbye to the both of you.  
  
A mischievous smile pulled at one side of Chris’ mouth, as he sauntered over to where you were standing. Coming to a standstill behind you, he raised his hands to rest on your shoulders. Flexing his fingers, he began to massage the muscles of your neck. Rolling your shoulders and humming with contentment, you allowed your eyes to drift shut. Leaning over your right shoulder, Chris’ breath was warm against your skin, “unless you wanna stay here…with me?”  
  
A prickling warmth ran through your body with his suggestion, but you really were hungry. With a sigh, you turned around, catching the brief look of disappointment on Chris’ face before his features settled into pleasant indifference. Wrapping your arms around his waist, you stepped closer, staring up at those incredibly clear blue eyes. “As much as I’d like that, I really do need to get something to eat. You won’t like me when I’m hangry.” With a small chuckle under his breath, Chris took the hint, stepping back to give you some space. “Fair enough, fair enough.”  
  
Grabbing your wallet from beneath the table, you headed for the door. Turning to wave goodbye to Chris, your heart quickened when he winked, grinning like a fool before turning back to his work.  
  
‘Damn him and that infernal winking…’   
  
The door opened right as you reached for it, “Oh, hello again [Y/F/N]..are you following me?” The teasing smile on Rob’s face made you laugh as he stood back to hold the door for you.  
  
“You wish, Benedict.” It was your turn to wink as you smiled, heading past him into the surprisingly quiet hallway. Everyone else must be at lunch too.  
  
“Hah..yeah, maybe.” Raising a hand to rub nervously over the back of his head, he looked a little sheepish. “Oh, uh, [Y/F/N]?”  
  
Slowing, you turned to look back over your shoulder. “Yeah, Rob?”  
  
“I..uhm. Did…did you want to grab drinks later?”  
  
“It’s totally cool if not – I just..uh..ne-nevermind…” stammering, his face turned red as his anxiety took over. Looking to make a quick retreat, he turned towards the photo op room, looking anywhere but at you.  
  
Worry creased your forehead. Securing your bag over one shoulder, you called out, “Hey, wait a second!”  
  
The man was still blushing as he turned back to look at you, his eye-contact fleeting at best.  
  
“Not even gonna wait for my answer?” Reaching out, your fingers brushed across arms that were tightly crossed over his chest.  
  
The hint of a lopsided grin his only response, you could see the cautious excitement in his stunning blue eyes. What was it with the men at this convention? They were all so beautiful, you were almost afraid to meet anyone else.  
  
“Drinks sound fantastic. How about tonight? I know I’ve got the promotional shoot with you and the band after lunch – we could grab a bite too?” The tentative smile on your face must have reassured him, because he nodded, breathing out a heavy sigh of relief.  
  
“See? Not so scary after all.” Nudging him with one shoulder in an effort to get him to relax, it was your turn to blush when he did manage to speak.  
  
“Yeah, I’m sorry…you’re just…you’re really pretty and that makes me nervous.”  
  
“Well, you seem really sweet and I’m looking forward to tonight. I’ll see you later.” Squeezing his shoulder, you turned away, determined to find something to eat before anything else distracted you.  
  
*****  
  
“What was that?” Chris had approached Rob as [Y/F/N] continued down the hall. “I thought you weren’t going to pursue her?” Rob was almost in a daze, he couldn’t believe she had agreed to going out with him.  
  
He turned to face the other man, his brows furrowing in confusion. “Figured I’d try…I mean, the most she could do was say no, right?”  
  
Chris remained silently contemplative. Over the years, he’d seen his friend unknowingly steal people’s hearts. It really wasn’t his fault; the man was unapologetically enchanting. Chris loved Rob like a brother, he just hoped both of them being interested in [Y/F/N] wouldn’t change that.  
  
*****  
  
Sitting in a rare, quiet corner of the hotel bistro, the special of the day having just been delivered – you pulled out your phone, scrolling through various social media feeds while enjoying your lunch. After several minutes an odd feeling washed over you. Looking up from the metal basket that held your lunch, you were surprised to see someone standing at your table. The woman looked to be in her early thirties, a cheerful, if not completely sincere smile plastered across her face.   
  
  
“Hi there! You must be [Y/F/N]?” Large, chocolate eyes stared down at you – the woman’s tense posture unnerving. Noting the Supernatural shirt she wore, you smiled back at her.  
  
“Hi, yes, I’m sorry – uhm, have we met?” “You’re here for the convention, right? This is my first one and I’m terrible with names…” Setting the remainder of your wrap back in the cheerful, paper-lined basket it had come in, you dusted off your hands – extending one to introduce yourself.  
  
The woman’s eyes flicked between your outstretched hand and your face for several agonizing moments. Choosing to ignore your handshake, she adjusted her bag – pulling out the chair across from you and lowering herself into the metal seat.  
  
“So, how do you know Chris?!” Baffled at the abruptness of her question, and at the fact that she’d yet to introduce herself – you weren’t quite sure how to answer.  
  
“Uhm, well, we’re friends? He uh, he kind of taught me a lot of what I know about photography. We’ve known each other for years.” Deciding to overlook the odd behavior the woman had shown initially, you tried to keep the conversation light; friendly. “Are you guys friends too?” You were genuinely happy to meet new people and if she was friends with Chris, you knew the two of you would get along quite well. Chris’ positive personality and raw friendliness attracted only the best people.  
  
“Chris and I are very good friends. I’ve been to every convention since they’ve started. So, yeah, we have a special relationship.” The tight-lipped smile still lingered on her face, her eyes narrow. Standing abruptly, the shrill scrape of the chair legs against the stone floor was deafening. Turning without so much as a goodbye, the woman hurried off – leaving you both perplexed and a little concerned. Without a doubt, that was the strangest interaction you’d had so far. Making a mental note to ask Chris about her, you finished your lunch before making your way back to the convention center.


	8. Chapter 8

When you returned to the photo op room, you didn’t even have a moment to mention the woman that you had met to Chris. He was already awaiting the line of fans outside of the room as he motioned toward a handler with a silent nod.

“Can you escort her to the green room? She’s meeting the band.”

“Oh, is that now?” You asked, feeling the anxiety grow now that you realized you were really doing this. You were being trusted to do a big shoot with a band that you loved, and the fact that you and Rob had definitely been a bit flirty with each other didn’t help to ease those anxieties.

Chris only nodded to you and gave you a sly smile, the handler jumping right into action and motioning to you to follow her.

You quickly gathered your equipment and followed her out of the room, taking just a moment to glance back at Chris nervously. His eyes met yours briefly and you caught just a hint of something that looked like concern. His usual smile that he reserved for you had faded, but you couldn’t dwell on it too much as you rushed off to meet the band.

***

They were waiting for you in the green room when you walked in, each of them looking up at you as you entered the room. You smiled at them as they stood up in unison, ready to follow you for the shoot.

Reminding yourself that you had a short period of time to do this, you decided not to make small talk or even hesitate, even if you maybe wanted to talk to Rob more.

“You ready?” You asked as you motioned for them to follow you this time.

There were collective agreements and they stayed just behind you as you headed out. You had the perfect spot in mind, and you only hoped that this would go well.

“So, where are we doing this?” Billy asked.

“Um, I figured the pavilion would be good,” you answered as you began to lead the way. “It’s nice out today and natural lighting is my favorite. Plus, the backgrounds are less distracting.”

You kept a brisk pace as you headed down one of the long hallways, knowing that your walk was also counted in the time limit. Rob kept right up with you, glancing over to smile as you noticed him by your side.

***

Once outside, you directed the guys on where to stand and gave them some ideas on posing. Mostly, you allowed them to be as natural as possible as you began to press away at the shutter button.

Your nervousness had eased up and you went right into photographer mode. Hidden behind the viewfinder, it was almost as if you were hidden from them right now; and hidden from Rob’s obvious stare that never left you.

You shot rapidly and asked them to follow you to a new location. It was more of the same. You worked even more proficiently now and the fact that the guys were very laid back and natural in front of the camera, made everything a lot easier. You didn’t have to tell them where to stand or how to pose anymore. They just did their thing and you did your best to capture it.

“I think I have time to get a few individual shots in,” you said as you dug through your bag to reclaim a new lens.

You looked up as Rob, Billy, and Stephen stepped aside; allowing Mike to go first. Again, they knew what they were doing and how to make this shoot work for you as well.

You took a lot of shots of each of them, ending on Rob who apparently had wanted to save himself for last.

Before you could get right into it, he addressed the other guys.

“I think she’s done with all of us,” he said, glancing at you as if to ask if the rest of the guys were done. “You don’t have to hang out.”

“No, yeah,” you muttered. “You’re done. I’m just gonna finish up with Rob and we’re good.”

The other three thanked you and headed back inside, leaving you and Rob alone. Your nervousness reappeared the moment he turned back to you and smiled.

“This is gonna take, like a minute,” you said. “You could’ve all left together.”

“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t have had a moment alone with you,” he grinned.

He stood there in place, already looking as if he were ready for the camera; so you started shooting away.

He was casual and his eyes still didn’t leave you as you moved around, trying to get new angles.

“You know,” he began. “You’re really good at this.”

“I learned a lot from the best,” you replied as you kept your face hidden behind the camera, taking way more shots of Rob than you had the other guys. Perhaps for selfish purposes.

“Chris… right,” he said. “So… about that… what’s going on between you two?”

You stopped taking photos just then, sort of thrown off at his blunt question. You pulled the camera down from your face and looked at him quizzically.

“I mean… I guess it’s not my business,” he stammered, blushing as he realized that he was maybe getting too personal.

“No,” you said firmly. “It’s not your business. But, he and I are friends. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” he replied. “I just- you seem close. He seems really… protective of you? I just sort of thought that maybe I was missing something.”

“I think I’m done,” you announced as you began to pack your camera up. His question had certainly put a damper on your moment, but you also realized that you were probably getting carried away on taking photos of him.

“I didn’t mean to offend you,” he said quickly as he approached you. “It’s just- we’re having drinks together tonight and I really don’t want to step on toes if…”

“Chris and I are just friends,” you said again. “I wouldn’t have agreed to going out with you if he and I were seeing each other. I assume that’s what you’re really asking.”

“Good,” he breathed out.

His face lit up again as he smiled at you.

Once you had your stuff packed, you started to walk, leading the way back into the convention center.

“Did Chris say something to you?” You asked as you stepped into the air conditioned hallway and out of the heat.

You were now a little worried that maybe Chris had mentioned that kiss from last night. You didn’t know why he would really. Not when it went unexplained and unexpected. He especially wouldn’t mention it to Rob of all people. Would he?

“Not really. I mean, he said the same thing you just said. You’re friends. He just…” He trailed off, face scrunched up in contemplation as he chose his words carefully.

“What did he say?”

“He just seems really kinda… against you maybe going out with other people.”

“Do you and Chris talk about me?”

You hid your concern behind a playful smile. Again, you were almost certain that that kiss last night had meant something to Chris. Even if he didn’t bring it up afterwards, you had definitely noted the change in his behavior towards you. He was unusually flirty and close to you all the time is seemed, and no one just kisses a friend at the end of a dinner unless they’re hinting at something.

You were trying not to think too much about it, because more than anything, you disliked not having answers to why he did it in the first place. You hated that the two of you were going about your day as if it hadn’t even happened.

Even more, you were now really concerned that he might have mentioned it to Rob after he had asked you out.

“No. We don’t talk about you. Not really. He did tell me that you weren’t interested in dating actors or musicians though.”

“Why would he tell you that?” You asked.

Now, you had made it to your destination and the two of you stepped into the green room that was scarcely occupied with a couple of the other actors. Rob glanced around quickly before answering you.

“I was hoping you could tell me why.”

“I don’t think he knows me well enough to talk to other people about my ‘type’. I’m sorry he said that to you.”

“It’s okay. I mean, I’m getting my date, right?” He grinned proudly.

“Yeah,” you chuckled in return. “And I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Me too. Look, I gotta get back to work, but I’ll see you tonight?”

“Yes,” you replied. “I can’t wait.”

***

Just as Rob got quickly back to work, so did you. You steeled yourself before heading back to the green room, sort of annoyed that Chris had talked about you at all to someone else. You were good friends, yes; but this friendship had been built over a computer screen and text messages. He hardly knew you well enough to have an opinion on your taste in men.

You didn’t want to outright confront him about his comments to Rob. For all you knew, he really was just being a friend and maybe he knew something you didn’t. He was a close, personal friend of Rob’s and had been for years. These two knew each other far better than you knew Rob or even Chris.

You decided to let it slide, at least for today. You really didn’t want to know if Chris knew that Rob was possibly a jerk or something, and you really wanted to go out with Rob at least once so that you could decide on your own if he was worth seeing.

You had moved right into helping Chris with a round of fans for photo ops with Kim and Briana. You were a little less tense through this session; laughing and having a great time simply because the ladies were so energetic and friendly.

Chris’ playlist blasted through the speaker, and even though you had thought that the intensity of him music was sort of anxiety-inducing at first, you were getting used to it. It not only helped to keep the talent going, but it also seemed to ease the nervous fans who waited their turns.

Through the next few rounds of ops, Chris hadn’t said two words to you. You just stood there quietly, handing him the things that he motioned for and occasionally taking the camera from him to take a photo when fans insisted that he join them.

As the day wound down, you were eager to get out of there and back to your room to get ready for drinks with Rob. You had definitely been looking forward to it all day, so you asked Chris if it was okay for you to cut out a bit early.

“You still need me?” You asked as he was already packing up some of his gear.

“I think we’re good,” he responded.

He didn’t look at you as he spoke, just seemed overly into whatever it was that he was currently doing.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Yeah, fine,” he mumbled in return.

“Are you okay?” You asked, not convinced that he was.

“I’m fine. Just go. I know you have… plans or whatever.”

He waved you off, still not bothering to even look at you.

All of the touching, winking, and flirty grins he had been giving you so far seemed like they had worn out now. Now, he was just making you feel as if he didn’t really care if you were here or not.

“Why are you being such a jerk?”

The words came before you had a chance to really think about them. It wasn’t that you thought he was purposefully being a jerk and you were probably reading too much into it. But, his behavior toward you seemed to change after you talked to or even spent a little time with Rob.

You still had that kiss on your mind, and although you had convinced yourself that it hadn’t really meant anything, you wondered if maybe you were wrong about that. Could he be jealous of Rob?

“I’m not,” he argued. “I’m just- you know it’s probably a bad idea to get too involved with the talent, right?”

There it was. This was definitely about Rob for some reason.

“We’re going out for drinks.”

“Yeah, a date.”

“Something like that…”

“Just- be careful.”

“Do you have a problem with me going out with Rob?”

“No,” he said sharply, pulling back as if the idea of it was ridiculous. “You can do whatever you want. I just- know how he is.”

“I’m not listening,” you laughed. “He’s a nice guy. I’m having drinks with him. If you have nothing nice to say, then don’t say anything.”

“I’m not even saying anything rude, Y/N.”

“Is he really a bad guy?” You asked, not sure if you really wanted the answer.

Rob easily came across as a good, decent man and the last thing you wanted was for this image that you had in your mind of him to be shattered.

“He’s not a bad guy,” Chris responded quietly. “He’s one of the best guys I know.”

“Then what’s the issue here?”

“There is no issue,” he sighed. “I’m sorry. You can do what you want. Have fun.”

“I don’t like the way you’re acting right now. I don’t know what’s going on or if you know something that I don’t… but I don’t like this.”

“I don’t know,” he mumbled. “Maybe I’ve just been thinking about last night and I’m a little thrown off that you’re going out with him after that.”

“Chris,” you sighed in frustration. “You kissed me and then walked away. You never said a thing about it.”

“It wasn’t planned. It just happened.”

“Do we need to talk about it? Because I don’t know what that was, and maybe I’d like some answers.”

“We probably should,” he agreed. “But don’t you have a date to get to?”

You huffed out in response, annoyed that he was acting like this. Maybe this would be a very different situation had he said something to you sooner. Right now, you felt that he was being unfair. Mostly, you hated when men just expected you to know something.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to talk about it, but he was right. You did have a date to get ready for. And you weren’t about to pass up spending time with Rob.

“You’re right,” you replied as you grabbed your bag and prepared yourself to leave. “I do have a date. I have a date with a really nice guy who actually had the balls to ask me out. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You headed for the door, noting the look of surprise on Chris’ face at your comment. It felt good to know that you could call him out for his behavior. Then, you recalled something from earlier, and since you were feeling a bit frisky, you stopped short and turned back to him.

“Oh,” you added. “I forgot to tell you, but I ran into someone earlier who said they knew you.”

“Who?”

“I didn’t catch her name, but she said you and her were really good friends. In fact, she described it as a special relationship.”

“Hmm,” he hummed as he looked lost in thought for a moment, almost as if he were trying to decide if you were fucking with him or not.

You gave a quick description of the woman who had surprised you and you saw his expression change quickly as if a realization had dawned on him. You wouldn’t say that he seemed pleased when he realized who you had meant, but rather annoyed in way.

“Someone you do know then?” You asked. “Not just a fan who sees you around?”

“Um, yeah, sounds like someone I might know.”

“Who is she?”

“Exactly who she said she was. Just a friend.”

“Uh huh,” you replied, cocking your eyebrow at him indicating that you didn’t really believe him.

***

Once Y/N left the room, Chris stood there; taken aback and very much annoyed. He couldn’t really believe that she had called him out like that, but it was fair. He had been the one to initiate the kiss and he was the one who never even brought it up afterwards. A part of him expected her to confront him about it.

He thought he was being mysterious, he thought that he could get away with playing her a little bit. Obviously he had been wrong.

She certainly wasn’t the type of girl to be intrigued by a spur of the moment kiss and she certainly didn’t think it was fun to be left wondering.

He realized that he needed to change his game plan, especially since there was another unexpected player involved. People were always falling for Rob, but he certainly hadn’t counted on Y/N being interested as well.

He kicked himself over the fact that he hadn’t just said something to her about how he felt. Now, one of his best friends had made his move and although he was concocting ways to remove Rob from the situation, he really hated that he had to do it.

Not only was there the whole, Rob and Y/N thing; but Y/N had apparently talked with someone even more unexpected.

He thought hard about his next steps. He very much wanted to see what there could be between he and Y/N, but, considering the fact that Y/N had obviously had a run in with someone that he would rather she avoid, he realized that he should probably tread lightly. Still, if he chose to back off a little bit, there was no doubt that Rob would win her over easily. He already seemed to have her interest. Chris could see it every time Y/N looked at Rob.

Letting out a long sigh, Chris ran his hand over his beard, feeling a bit defeated for a moment. None of this was planned at all, but that just meant that he needed to reevaluate and try to fix this mess.


	9. Chapter 9

**  
**Deciding what to wear took more time than you had initially wanted to spend. Unsure why you’d even found it important to change,the last forty minutes had been spent digging through your suitcase and trying on outfits. This wasn’t your typical reaction with dating. It certainly hadn’t taken you this long to dress when you’d had drinks with Chris. Though, to be fair, at the time, you’d had no idea it was meant to be a date. Now, standing in your underwear in front of the full-length mirror in your room, you were very conscious of the fact that this was indeed, an actual date. **  
**

Eventually you settled on a lightweight, swishy red dress that fell just above your knees. Pairing the comfortable outfit with your black and white Converse, you felt pretty, but not as if you were trying too hard.

Running hands through your hair, you took a brief moment to touch-up the makeup you’d worn earlier in the day. Although the two of you hadn’t really discussed where you were going to meet, you couldn’t imagine it’d be anywhere that warranted more than that.

“Keep it casual [Y/F/N].”

Muttering to yourself, you simply stood there for a moment, content in how the weekend had been so far.

For a split second, you wondered what Chris was doing right now. Not wanting one of your best friends to be angry with you, the idea crossed your mind that he might have a valid reason to be concerned.

What exactly had he meant by saying ‘I know how Rob can be.’? Abruptly, your palms started to tingle, concern clouding your excitement for the first time since you’d had the terse conversation earlier.

Shaking off the feeling, you stood up straight, grabbed your phone from the dresser and made for the door. Even if Chris had been trying to protect you, or whatever, he could’ve found a way to voice his concerns that didn’t make him sound like a jealous asshole.

The hallway was rather quiet, the rustle of your dress against your thighs setting a tempo for your steps. Glancing at your phone as the screen lit up in your palm, you weren’t surprised to see that it was Chris. For just a second, you considered ignoring him. But after the fourth ring, you relented - not answering the phone seemed childish and it certainly wouldn’t make things better.

“Hey Chris, what’s up?” Pleasantly surprised with how even your tone was, you reached out to press the button to the elevator, waiting for him to talk.

The murmur of voices coming through the speaker alluded to the idea that wherever Chris was, he was surrounded by people. After a minute more of trying to get his attention, all to no avail - you gave up and ended the call. Pocket dialing did seem to make the most sense in this situation. Clearly it’d been an accident. Giving it no further thought, you stepped off the elevator and began to look around the lobby for Rob.

*****

Looking up as the elevator doors opened and [Y/F/N] stepped out, Rob’s heartbeat quickened.

She was so beautiful.

Pushing away from the wall where he’d stood, Rob rubbed his palms along his thighs; a nervous gesture that was somehow comforting.

She noticed him then, and, with a wide smile on her face, approached.

“[Y/F/N]..you look..stunning.”

The last word merely a whisper of adoration, Rob averted his gaze, staring at his shoes as if he were fourteen again.

The brush of her fingers against his arm brought him back to the present, and for a moment, their eyes met and he simply could not look away. Offering [Y/F/N] a timid smile, he was relieved when she laughed, looping her hand through his arm and taking off down the hall.

Rob had no choice but to keep up, and it quickly took his mind off of his nerves.

As she led them towards the hotel bar, situated just to the left of the massive glass doors in the lobby, Rob was internally hesitant. He’d kind of hoped they’d have some time alone, but maybe she was more comfortable in a public setting?

At the last moment, [Y/F/N] turned right, bypassing the bar in favor of the wide swaths of color the setting sun painted on the stone tiles of the reception area.

“I hope you don’t mind leaving the hotel, I’ve been in this building for almost forty-eight straight hours. Fresh air sounds really, really good right now.”

Rob chuckled under his breath when he saw [Y/F/N] notice that she’d been rambling.

“Are you nervous?”

Rob’s forehead crinkled with concern as she blushed, looking everywhere but at him.

*****

Choosing to keep that bit of information to yourself, you turned to point out the sunset as it sank behind the horizon.

“Isn’t it beautiful?! This is my favorite time of day. The lighting is absolute perfection.”

The two of you crossed the street, cars lined up for miles as people commuted home. The sounds of the city echoed around the two of you as you made small talk. Even though you’d known Rob only a couple of days, you felt comfortable around him already, like you’d been friends for years.

Gesturing to a small restaurant set into the historic part of downtown, Rob reached forward to open the door for you.

Inside, the dimly lit atmosphere was intimate but lively. The hostess showed you to a table in the back corner, pointing out the drink menu before excusing herself.

A short, glass vessel was situated in the middle of the table, three tea lights floating in the water it held; light dancing in patterns on the solid wood.

The waitress arrived a few moments later, pen poised and ready for your order. After introducing herself and recommending the house specials, she looked to you first.

“Could I please have a double scotch, neat? Johnny Walker Blue if you have it.”

Nodding, the woman scribbled on her notepad before turning to Rob.

“Mezcal Old Fashioned please.”

“Did you want anything to eat [Y/F/N]?” Rob’s blue eyes slid from the waitress to you.

“Bruschetta sounds great, thank you.”

Nodding, the woman bustled away to fill the orders, leaving you alone with Rob. Glancing up from the table, you were startled by his expression. One eyebrow was cocked in interest, a bemused smile on his face.

“Johnny Walker eh? Interesting choice.”

Over the course of the next hour, the two of you talked about everything from work to hobbies, family to current events.

“I’ve never met a woman quite like you, [Y/F/N].”

Now on your third drink, the warmth of the alcohol had seeped deep in your muscles and it was beginning to make you question the filter you usually kept carefully in place around people you weren’t close with.

Swirling the remnants of the heavy liquid around your glass, you were mesmerized by the way it clung to the surface, building up in layers.

“I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I’m going to take that as a compliment, Mr. Benedict.”

Emphasizing the ’t’ with a pop of your lips, you grinned to yourself when you caught him staring.

****

After dinner and several more drinks, you and Rob left the restaurant. A light breeze accompanied your walk through the area, charming cobblestone paths underfoot and ancient brick architecture rising up on all sides provided the perfect backdrop to the remainder of your evening.

At some point on the short walk back to the hotel, Rob’s hand brushed against yours before warm fingers slid through your hand, the grip light but confident.

Your heart-rate increased, beating a little faster as he walked you through the lobby of the hotel towards a wall of elevators.

Stepping inside, you used your free hand to press the button for floor twenty-two; the quiet hush of the doors as they slid closed sealing you off from the world.

Once on your floor, Rob walked you to your door. Pausing outside, he slid one hand up to cup your cheek, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

“I had a wonderful time [Y/F/N], thank you so much for agreeing to tonight.”

Leaning forward, he pressed a gentle kiss to your cheek, his lips soft.

Pulling back he smiled again, his fingers still entwined in yours, the thumb rubbing across your knuckles.

“Goodnight.”

Tightening your grip as he started to walk away, he hesitated, curiosity plain in his expression.

“I appreciate you being such a gentleman Rob, I really do. But do you think we could try that again? I’d really like to give you a proper kiss goodnight..if that’s okay?”

His blue eyes widened briefly before he nodded. Stepping closer, you hesitated only a second before pressing your lips to his. Arms sliding over his hips to encircle his back, you pulled him into you, the pressure of your lips against his steady.

Dropping your hand in favor of your waist, Rob’s fingers instead splayed across the small of your back, your hips now aligned with his own.

Hesitantly, Rob’s tongue darted out to swipe over your bottom lip. Sighing into the kiss, you gasped when his hand traveled up your back and his fingers threaded through your hair, his grip tightening.

*****

Breaking away with a quiet groan, Rob stepped back, his breath heavy beneath the simple black button-up shirt he wore.

The whine of protest that fell from her lips as [Y/F/N]’s eyes flew open was torture. But if he didn’t walk away now, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to. And, being due on stage in fifteen minutes really didn’t help matters any. He was almost positive the guys would be giving him shit for skipping sound-check as it was.

“I should go…” Norton is going to kill me if I don’t get my ass back to the convention center, like, now.“

Dragging her bottom lip between her teeth, [Y/F/N] simply nodded, a resigned sigh illustrating her obvious disappointment.

"Oh, hey, are you coming to the concert tonight?” Rob stared at you, the hopeful expression on his face obvious.

****

Truth be told, you’d forgotten all about it.

You were tired, it had been a packed weekend so far and you really wanted nothing more than some time alone to decompress.

But then again, you were always this busy, flying somewhere or photographing something. Maintaining friendships, let alone creating new ones was something you rarely had time for.

“I’ll be there.” Waving goodbye, you let yourself into your room - the still quiet almost unnerving. That was new. Usually peace and quiet was a welcome relief, but for some reason - tonight it put you on edge.

Refreshing your makeup took only a moment and you were back out the door in less than five minutes.

Upon approaching the convention center, you were surprised at the line of people wrapping through the hall and around the corner. You’d figured getting there a few minutes early would be sufficient, but clearly that wasn’t the case. Making a mental note for later, you were still content to join the line. Chatting animatedly with the people around you in line, you were informed that this was standard procedure for all Swain shows - and non-convention shows often had people lining up twelve hours in advance of show time.

You found it amazing that this small Indie rock band had such a devoted fanbase, many of them traveling to every show - even if that meant flying to other countries.

The conversation quieted when the convention organizers opened the doors, allowing people to file in and find their seats.

The few people who were still chatting with you turned and waved as Chris walked by. When he saw you standing with them, he stopped to chat for a moment.

Preparing to follow the crowd as they filled the ballroom, you were surprised when Chris waved goodbye to the remaining stragglers and beckoned for you to follow him.

“C'mon [Y/F/N], I saved a spot for ya.”

Shrugging, you trailed after him - not sure what else to do. Leading you through several winding hallways, you almost missed it when he ducked into a set of double doors to your left. Once inside, you recognized it as the green room that you’d visited yesterday. Noting a second set of doors across the room, you wondered if you’d come in that way before.

Ruth and Kim made space on the couch, smiling as they waved you over.

“This is your first Swain show, right [Y/F/N]?” Ruth’s thick Scottish accent immediately stole your attention.

“Yeah, it is. It’s kind of awesome how dedicated the fans are too. I haven’t seen that kind of line-up since I was last at a Pearl Jam concert.”

“Oh! Did you see them in Portland a few months back? They put on an amazing live show.”

The excited gleam in Kim’s eyes made the conversation easy. It didn’t seem to matter that you were new - everyone had been very welcoming.

The band sauntered over to say hello before they left to take the stage. Mike reached out to give you a hug, saying it was great to see you again. Norton and Billy smiled and waved. Rob’s eyes flicked to yours and a small, half-smile greeted you even as he was ushered out the door.

The conversation you’d been having with Kim and Ruth continued on in the background, and it took you a moment to realize they were asking you a question; “Are you going to come out and sing with me [Y/F/N]?” Ruth repeated herself, clearly looking for you to agree.

“Oh? You’re singing tonight? That’s awesome.”

Genuinely interested in how the Saturday Night Special worked, you asked the two of them to elaborate.

They went on to explain, along with the normal Louden Swain songs, several guests would come out and sing as well. Then, at the end everyone congregated together and sang the last song as a collective.

The sudden echo of drums and guitar pierced the relative quiet of the green room, electric and bass weaving together while Rob’s voice carried above it all.

While you’d gotten to briefly see a sound check during your tour with Chris, this was the first time you could actually watch a full performance. Not really wanting to spend the entire time sitting behind the scenes, when Rich walked by on his way out, you walked up, asking if there was somewhere you could sit and actually watch.

His bushy moustache nearly hiding his eyes, Rich’s mouth curved up into a smile as he nodded, “Sure! Follow me, Sunshine.”

Unsure as to why he insisted on calling you that, you followed him out the door, the vibrations of the concert increasing several times as the door fell shut behind the two of you.

The short walk to the stage was filled with small talk. Rich asked how your weekend was going and there was brief chatter about your favorite music and whether you were going to join anyone on-stage.

For the second time in less than an hour you tried to deflect the question. While your voice wasn’t bad, you definitely felt like it was not on par with those who were singing tonight. Rich, however, merely scoffed.

“You won’t get away with not singing for very long. We can be very persuasive. Pretty sure we’ve conned everyone here into singing at least once. We’ll break you too.”

With a throaty chuckle, he grabbed an abandoned microphone from a nearby table, and, flipping it several times in the air, he ascended the flimsy set of stairs leading to the stage. Stopping short, and nearly falling in his haste, he turned back, a wide grin on his face as he held his hand out for you.

“C'mon [Y/F/N], let’s get you properly introduced to everyone.”

Eyes widening, your head shook vehemently, backing away from the man at the apex of the stairs.

“Oh, no. No, no. I just want a quiet corner to watch from - I have no business getting up on stage in front of everyone.” “Those people are here to see you, not me.”

Shrugging, Rich turned and disappeared through the black curtains, screams and applause rising as he spoke into his microphone.

“For a man of his stature, he’s an awfully good ninja. You know him, you love him, you hail him as a God - everyone give it up, for Mr. Chris Schmelke!”

Standing off to the side of the staircase, you endeavored to remain as unobtrusive as possible. Fingers slipping between the curtains, you peered out at the stage; strobe lights swept over the surface, thick bundles of cords and wires snaking around the perimeter.

Taking the stairs three at a time, Chris was merely a flash of long legs in your peripheral vision before he too, disappeared.

Sudden and deep, the reverberations of a bass guitar echoed through your body - a chill coursing down your spine. Straining to get a better look, Rich stepped to the side just in time for you to see Chris throw himself into his playing; long fingers moving expertly over the instrument.

The initial strains of ‘Taxi Driver’ flowed from his fingertips as Rob stepped up the the mic, his feet stomping out the now familiar rhythm.

Running back to the green room, you dug through your camera bag as quickly as you could, Rob moving into the chorus of what had become one of your favorite songs.

Grabbing a new lens from your bag, you made for the door - changing out the old one as you went.

Switching to burst, you were able to manage fifty or so frames before the song ended. Why you hadn’t thought to bring your camera in the first place eluded you. Your camera was always with you.

Several shots of Chris waving to the crowd joined the others. Wrapping his arms around Rob’s neck, Chris quickly pressed his lips to his cheek before descending the stairs.

This time, he saw you.

“Having a good time?”

Nodding, you lowered the heavy lens in your grip. With a curt “good” - Chris turned to walk away.

Removing the thick nylon strap from your neck, you set your camera on a nearby table, jogging to catch up to the lanky man.

“Chris, wait.”

Grabbing hold of one sleeve, you did your best to get his attention. Finally, he slowed and then stopped, his back still turned to you.

Wrapping your arms around him from behind, you rested your forehead against the soft cotton of his favorite gray hoodie. He was warm, his back solid beneath your arms.

“Chris, why are you acting this way? Please talk to me..we’re friends, and I hate that you’re dealing with whatever this is alone.”

Beginning to relax under your touch, he finally turned, his expression wary.

With a heavy sigh, he offered you a tentative smile.

“You’re right, I have no business acting like this. I have no idea why you dating Rob bothers me so much…”

Arms still loose around his waist, you simply looked at the man, remaining quiet. There was something he wasn’t saying, but you weren’t going to push him into being uncomfortable. Sure, you wanted him to explain his actions, but you also wanted him to offer that explanation willingly.

Tightening your grip, you buried your face into his chest, breathing deeply as you held your friend.

Pressing his lips to the top of your head, you pulled back to offer him a smile.

“You can talk to me about anything Chris. We’ve been friends long enough, you should know that by now.”

Nodding, he sighed - seemingly in relief.

“So, are we…okay?” “I miss you, and these amazing hugs.”

Squeezing him again, you laughed even as another shudder ran through you.

“You really should lay off the cologne dude, you’re gonna kill all your fangirls.”

Winking, you moved to walk beside him, one of his long arms thrown casually around your shoulders.

“You gonna come have drinks with us after the show [Y/F/N]?”

Still exhausted from earlier, the clear shock in your expression as the two of you entered the green room made Chris chuckle.

“How are you all still alive? It’s almost eleven o'clock and they’re still out there. Do none of you know what sleep is?”

“Bah, you can sleep when you’re dead. You HAVE to come out with us!” Kim grinned, her even, white teeth framing a smile that you weren’t sure how to describe. You enjoyed the little time you’d spent with the ladies of this cast. And it was Saturday night…

Another forty-five minutes elapsed before the boys came walking through the door. Rob was covered in sweat, his chest heaving, a wide grin plastered across his face.

“Kim tells me you’re joining us for the after party?”

While you’d never actually given her an answer, accepting the invitation seemed inevitable.

Besides, what’s the worst that could happen?


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader takes Kim up on her offer of celebrating at the SNS after-party.

TEN 

As the discussion about drinks and where everyone was hanging for the night began to filter around the group, you realized the relationship they all had with each other was like that of a family. Just like Chris had said. There were no cliques, no gossip, and everyone truly seemed to enjoy everyone else’s company. Moving to grab your camera bag, and seeing it open and empty, a bolt of dread lanced through your body. Remembering suddenly that you'd set in down backstage in your haste to catch Chris earlier you slipped out the door as Misha walked into the room, making a beeline for the stage entrance. Never had you been so careless with your camera. Silently berating yourself as you almost ran down the narrow hallway, you sighed in relief when it was sitting on the same table you'd left it on earlier.

Taking a moment, you had to remind yourself that, while this was a new experience and the people all seemed amazingly welcoming - you were here to work. Leaving your equipment unattended in an unfamiliar environment was asking for trouble, and if it was lost or stolen? You shuddered to think what would happen.

Returning to the greenroom and carefully ensuring your bag was packed and put under one of the tables, you turned to find Kim approaching, a beer in each hand and that same infectious smile on her face.

Handing you one of the chilled bottles, she motioned for you to follow as she wandered out into the hallway.

"So, [Y/F/N] - how's your weekend been so far? Enjoying yourself?" 

Taking a swallow of her beer, you could see the mischievous gleam in her dark eyes as she awaited your answer.

"Kim, I don't take you for someone who skirts around what you really mean to say." 

Grinning at the woman, you watched as she pressed the call button for the elevator. Shrugging, she dipped her head and nodded as the two of you stepped into the lift, heavy steel doors closing after you with a soft chime.

"Touche. I was trying to hold back, can't have you running screaming already can we? What with Chris and Rob following you around like lost puppies."

Scoffing, you followed behind her as she pressed a plastic keycard to the lock on a set of double doors at the end of the long corridor. Several blinking lights and a faint buzzing sounded, the woman pushing on the heavy doors and leading you inside. If you thought the green room was big, nothing prepared you for the enormity of the space you walked into. 

The suite was easily a thousand square feet. A large stone fireplace divided the sitting area into two sections, groups of overstuffed armchairs framed long leather couches that were arranged on each side. A cheerful fire provided warmth and a soft light to the living space. Another set of large double doors were set into the wall just ahead, massive sheets of glass framed in dark iron leading to a private balcony. Turning, you noted the room also had a large alcove lined in glass shelves, every conceivable type of liquor arranged within. A wide, six-inch thick slab of oak topped the bar, the dark stain highlighting the natural textures of the wood.  

"Wow, they really get you guys the best huh?" "This some kind of Penthouse?" 

You'd only ever seen rooms like these in magazines and movies - nothing about your salary could afford you a stay in a place like this.

"Yeah, Creation shells out top dollar for Jared and Jensen.” Kim said it like it was obvious, but with zero hint of jealousy.

Eyebrows shooting up into your hairline, you were suddenly feeling a little intimidated. 

"I'm pretty sure my entire house would fit in this room alone." 

The sentence was a mumble to yourself, and while everyone had been nothing but welcoming, you were reminded that most of the people around you lived a very different lifestyle.

“Yeah, me too.” “C’mon, let’s go take advantage of that wet bar, shall we?”

A short glass tumbler gripped in your right hand, pomegranate juice and vodka swirled together with edible glitter was mesmerizing. Fancier than you were used to, sure, but delicious all the same. 

“So, you gonna tell me about what’s going on with Chris and Rob or do I have to keep dropping hints and waiting?” Leaning into the edge of the couch on which she sat, Kim sipped her drink, the look on her face stating there was no room for anything but acquiescence.

Shrugging, you went on to tell the woman about the dinner with Chris, and how you’d thought it was just going to be a casual thing. When you mentioned the kiss and how strange it was to have him act like nothing had happened afterwards, you could see she was intrigued. Telling her about how both men kept asking about your relationship with the other, and how Chris had been oddly possessive of you all weekend, you weren’t surprised to hear her laughing by the end.

“Oh, [Y/F/N], they’ve got it bad, don’t they?” “It’s obvious Chris is into you, especially with his behavior. What’s strange is that he’s being so coy about it. See, Rob is good at unintentionally worming his way into your heart. Chris? Not so much. He tells it like it is, I’ve never seen him hint at anything and hope someone will figure out what he means.”

“So, what are you going to do?” When you merely shrugged, she emptied her glass, and, standing from the chair, leaned over to look you in the eyes. Bracing one hand on the edge of the couch, she gave you the best advice she could under the circumstances. 

“You can’t just ignore the issue and hope it’ll magically fix itself. You need to talk to them.” “But hey, have some fun, ya know? This is supposed to be a party - c’mon, do you want another drink?”

Smiling at her frank advice, you realized she was right. You didn’t have to decide anything right this second. In fact, you didn’t have to commit to anything at all. With that thought came some semblance of relief. And suddenly, you decided to worry about potential relationships later and just focus on enjoying your Saturday night.

As midnight came and wore on into early morning, you found yourself wandering out onto the balcony, sweat beading at your temples from the exertion of dancing with the girls. The air was unseasonably warm, a light breeze bringing with it the smell of pine from the trees surrounding the hotel. When the voices inside grew louder for a split second, you turned to see Chris had followed you outside.

“Hey.” A small smile twitched at the corner of his mouth as he approached the railing you leaned against.  

“Hey Chris, what’s up?” 

“Apparently we need to have a talk.” Turning to look back over his shoulder, you leaned around his lanky frame to see Kim waving through the window. When the man had turned back to face you, it was to see you rolling your eyes at the woman winking from the other side of the glass.

“Sure Chris, let’s talk.” The several drinks flowing through your bloodstream brought with it a certain bluntness you only possessed during such times.

Crossing arms under your breasts and staring up at the man who’d stopped only a few inches in front of you, you wondered if he’d gotten that close purposely or if, like you, he was a few drinks in and incapable of judging his distance. 

“I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier. How I have no right to be upset at you for dating Rob...and, you’re right.” “But, I--”

“I know I’m right, Chris - there’s never been an--”

The way the man looked at you just then had the sentence dying on your lips before you could finish the words. Clearly there was more he wanted to say. The smallest drop of moisture landed on your upturned cheek then, several others falling from the sky to land on the fabric of your dress. The breeze picked up then, a gentle gust dancing through the tendrils of your hair, sending the strands playing across your shoulders and back. Far from one to let a little rain dissuade you, you returned your attention to Chris, waiting for him to continue. When he stood there staring at you instead of talking, you tried to prompt him.

“But, what Chris?” “You’ve never had a hard time telling me exactly what you’re thinking. I mean, hell, it was your tough love that made me realize I didn’t need anyone’s approval on my work. It’s how I found my style, and it’s how I stopped waiting around for the people in my life to give me their blessing on how I should live in general.”

The moisture fell in heavier drops now, the wetness collecting on your shoulders and staining your dress a red so dark it was nearly black. Brushing the hair from your face, you waited to see if he’d say anything at all, or if he’d simply continue to stare at you. 

*****

She was waiting for him to explain himself, and, as he stared down at her, he desperately wished he could. He wanted to be able to tell her that he thought about her all the time. He wanted to be able to tell her that he didn’t like her dating Rob, not because he was a bad man or that he was jealous, but because he desperately wanted to keep her all to himself. And he wanted to tell her that his interest in her had begun that fateful day all those years ago when she’d knocked him flat on his ass. But how did you tell one of your best friends that you were essentially in love with them, especially when she was intrigued by this other man. He knew Rob would be good for her, even if he told her he wasn’t. He wanted to say all of that, and yet, the words simply didn’t come. 

He was un-surprised when she sighed, realizing in that moment that as much as he said they should talk, that he either wouldn’t or couldn’t. Stepping around her friend, she was several feet away when his hand closed around her wrist, spinning the woman back into his very solid chest. Tipping her chin up with one hand, his lips were on hers before she knew how to react.

*****

 Tensing, the kiss was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. Your hands exploring his chest as his lips roved over yours. Crushing your body against his warmth, he put all of the words he wanted to say into that kiss. Starting gentle, the intensity deepening with each passing moment, he brought his other hand up to join the first in cradling your face. When he stepped back a few moments later his eyebrows knit together in confusion when you laughed to yourself. 

 “If that wasn’t the most cliche thing I’ve ever experienced…” Your eyes were bright with mirth as you tried to explain. Trouble was, that had been _some_ kiss. Truth was, you were a little breathless, and maybe a little wanting more of the same. 

Pulling your into a spine-crushing hug, his scent washed over you again and you inhaled, closing your eyes and just absorbing the moment. With a reluctant sigh, you pulled away. This complicated things. While the two of you still needed to talk, you were pretty sure you knew exactly what he had to say. 

Rejoining the party, it appeared as though people had started drifting off to their own rooms, as the conversations had quieted and broken off into small clusters. Lowering yourself back onto the couch, the flames still crackled along a half-burned log, red embers glowing at their base. 

Looking around the room, you noted Clif laughing with a very inebriated Jensen and Misha. Briana, Kim and Ruth sat across from the pair with their own drinks, the conversation still flowing even as it approached two in the morning. Kicking off your shoes, you curled your feet up under your body, smoothing the dress over your legs. Eyes sliding out of focus as Chris’ kiss replayed in your mind, you startled when a set of calloused hands landed on your shoulders. Rob massaged the tense muscles for a moment before leaning over your shoulder to press a soft kiss to your cheek. 

“Hey beautiful.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party proves to be too much for Chris to handle. Rob continues to let his affections for Reader show, and Reader is already struggling with her own internal dilemma. Kim and Briana help to ease her mind a bit, at least until she realizes that she has to talk to the guys about what she is considering doing.

Chris saw the way Rob leaned into her. The way he placed that soft kiss to her face, and the way she looked at him when she realized it was him. She had reserved that specific look for Rob only and the thought of it made Chris far more jealous than he would ever care to admit to being.

He side-eyed the two of them, fully aware that Rob had definitely piqued Y/N’s interest and he began to berate himself over the fact that he couldn’t even verbalize to her what she meant to him.

He thought the kiss from earlier would say it all, and she seemed to be into it at least. But, she was less than thrilled the way he failed to just come out and say what was on his mind. He was fucking things up with her when it should be easy.

Now, she had Rob wooing her and, interestingly enough, he was really good at it. Rob had a way of playing up his adorable awkwardness and managed to constantly have women hypnotized by his charms. It was just who he was. He only wished that Rob hadn’t turned on his charm with Y/N.

This was the first time that Chris felt threatened by his friend. He hated the feeling of jealousy and the need that he felt to challenge Rob in this game. But, he had decided that he wasn’t giving up on Y/N. He had pined over her for far too long and although his friend was definitely interested too, he wouldn’t back down.

The worst part of it all was that he felt that Rob knew that what he was doing. Chris tried to tell himself that Rob was oblivious to the situation, but he wondered if Rob was fully aware of his interest in Y/N and just didn’t care. Hell, he had been the one to invite her here and make a point of letting Rob know that he wasn’t Y/N’s type. The fact that Rob hadn’t backed down immediately made Chris believe that Rob was most certainly challenging him.

He watched the two of them for a moment; as Rob moved around from behind the couch and staked his claim right next to her. He casually draped his arm around her shoulders, leaning in so that he could rest his other hand atop her leg.

They seemed to get caught up in a conversation, but Chris was more focused on the way Rob touched her and the way she reciprocated his advances. She couldn’t stop smiling as they spoke.

Chris huffed to himself, downed the last of his drink, and decided that he needed to step away for the rest of the night. He couldn’t just outright say what he wanted to say to her, not now anyway. And the last thing he wanted to do was hang out and watch her make googly eyes at his friend.

As he quietly made his way to the exit, hoping that no one would even notice he was leaving, he gave them one more quick glance.

He definitely needed to step up his game. By no means had Y/N rejected him, but she was unimpressed with the way he chose to make his feelings known. He just needed to figure out how to get Rob to back off so that he could have a proper chance at being with her.

If nothing else, he at least hoped that their kiss still played on her mind, even as she talked to Rob.

***

**Reader’s POV**

You were too caught up in your conversation with Rob to even notice Chris for the rest of the night. You didn’t notice the way he kept his eyes on you and you didn’t notice when he left. The only thing you were noticing now was Rob and the way you felt when you were with him. There was something about him… that charming personality, the awkward yet confident way he showed his interest in you. His deep blue, attentive eyes and infectious smile didn’t hurt either.

You hardly knew the man, but you definitely wanted to get to know him more.

The two of you chatted for some time, you eagerly leaning into his touch throughout the conversation, him smiling as you did so.

It was nice to spend time with Rob this way. While you and Chris always had something to talk about because you shared so many of the same interests, it was different with Rob. With Chris, conversation just came naturally as you already knew each other fairly well. But you and Rob, the two of you were actually getting to know each other, and that sort of excited you.

While you were internally wrestling with the dilemma you seemed to be caught up in, you had failed to realize that there were people on the outside of the situation who were just as aware as you were.

You had excused yourself from the conversation with Rob to quickly head to the restroom to freshen up, not expecting it when Kim and Briana hurried in after you and closed the door.

“Uh, what are you doing?” You asked in surprise, unsure of what this was.

“What are you doing?” Kim asked. She raised a brow at you, almost accusingly.

“I was going to use the restroom, but I didn’t expect an audience.”

“You know what she means…” Briana argued.

“I’m not doing anything,” you mumbled as you turned your attention to your bag instead.

You pulled out a tube of lipstick and began to apply it, pretending that you didn’t know what they were on about.

“Well, I’d say that sneaking off with Chris earlier and then getting cozy with Rob in a crowded room is… doing something.”

“What are you accusing me of?” You sighed.

You put the lipstick back once you were done and turned back to face the girls, now waiting for them to tell you exactly what you had been thinking.

This entire back and forth situation between you and Chris, and you and Rob was weird. You felt sort of bad about the way things were happening, but you also couldn’t bring yourself to tell either of them to back off. You liked Chris, even if it was annoying that he wouldn’t just say something to let you know for sure that he saw you as more than just a friend. And you also really liked Rob, who was at least taking the initiative to let it be known that he was interested.

They were both attractive and sweet and you felt that you could easily connect with both of them; but even you knew that whatever was going on with each of them could get awkward. Apparently, it already had as Kim and Briana brought it up.

“Nothing,” Briana replied. “We’re just curious about what the deal is here. At first, I really thought you might have a thing for Chris… but then I saw you with Rob…”

“It’s… complicated,” you sighed.

“Which is why I’m interested in hearing all about it,” she said, a sly grin pulling up on her lips as if she was intrigued by your dilemma.

“Can I be completely honest about something? Possibly without being judged?”

“Please do,” Kim replied.

“I’ve known Chris for years and he’s amazing. He’s always been good to me, and yeah, maybe at one point in time, I might have had a little crush on him.”

“Really?” Kim grinned in response, perking up as you finally spilled the juicy details.

“I didn’t realize that he might be interested in me until recently. The other night, we had what I thought was a work dinner that turned out to be a date. He kissed me that night and then just walked away. Didn’t say anything, didn’t actually tell me that he liked me… then he did the same thing tonight.”

“Huh.”

“Then there’s Rob…” you sighed, smiling as you thought about how good you felt just to be around him. “He’s…”

“Adorable, we know,” Briana chuckled.

“Yeah, and he’s nice, he’s talented, he’s funny, and he actually talks to me. He actually asked me out and we had an amazing time. He didn’t kiss me and walk away… I actually had to make the first move.”

“Wait, so you’re making out with both of them this weekend?” Briana asked gleefully. “And going on dates with both of them?”

“Okay, to be fair, all the Chris stuff is weird and he’s the one kissing me. Not that I’m against it.”

“We’re not judging,” Kim promised. “We’re just- interested.”

“The thing is, maybe this is terrible of me, but I kinda like the attention I’m getting from both of them. Chris is frustrating beyond words and I wish he would just tell me he likes me… and Rob is not at all what I expected…”

“I get it,” Briana chuckled. “It’s nice to get attention from two attractive men.”

“I like both of them,” you admitted. “Honestly, I’m not really sure of what to do. They’re friends, so I sort of feel bad that one is kissing me one minute and then I’m making out with the other right after. It probably wouldn’t be so complicated if they weren’t friends.”

The two ladies stayed quiet for a moment, giving each other knowing looks before Briana turned back to face you.

“So… then just date them both for a while to see which one you click with best,” she said simply.

“Really? Is that a good idea?” You didn’t expect to hear this from her. You half expected for the two of them to berate you and tell you that you were an awful person for the way things were going as it was.

“Look, there’s nothing wrong with dating around to find out what it is that you’re looking for. You’ve got two great guys interested, and it’s okay to get to know each of them better before you decide which, if either, of them you actually want to be with.”

“I think the fact that I technically work with both of them, and the fact that they’re friends, complicates things.”

“Well, dating is complicated,” she argued. “Maybe consider being open with both of them though. Tell them about the other, tell them you like both of them and want to see where each relationship could go.”

“I should date both of them at the same time?” You asked, attempting to make it clear that it was their idea and that you should definitely go along with it.

“Well, there’s nothing wrong with doing that,” Kim added. “But they should really know about each other and your intentions. If they’re not comfortable with that, then one will back out anyway, so maybe your decision won’t be too hard.”

“I have to admit,” you began softly, “I have been thinking about how to handle all of this and I thought trying to date them both would be a bad idea…”

“It’s only a bad idea if you hide it from them,” Briana said.

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting this type of girl talk tonight,” you chuckled. “I expected the two of you were following me in here to yell at me about all of this.”

“Nah,” Kim laughed. “We’re just nosey and intrigued by your situation. We’ve all noticed the way Rob and Chris are with you. They’re whipped. We’ve also noticed that you’re a certain way with each of them as well.”

“I’m that obvious?”

“But, they each seem to get a different Y/N,” she answered. “Either way, we can tell you like them both and you owe it to yourself to explore your options.”

“I can’t believe I’m even considering dating both of them… I’ve never done this before.”

“Well, you gotta get each of them on board first before you have to stress about it. Also, don’t hurt either of them. They’re equally great guys who we love.”

“I don’t know, if they’re both really that interested in me, won’t one of them get hurt in the end?”

“Such is love,” Briana sighed. “Just- don’t purposely hurt them. That’s all we ask.”

“Well, I guess they’re not the only ones who could get hurt in all of this,” you reminded her.

Something told you that, if they agreed to date you at the same time, there was a better chance at things ending poorly for you more than anyone else. Still, you had been caught in an internal struggle about what to do the moment you kissed Rob after your date. You enjoyed that moment immensely, but you also found yourself thinking about the way Chris kissed you the night before. Both men made you feel something, and this seemed to be the only way to find out which one of them could have potential.

You were grateful to have the girls on your side with the idea of dating both of them, even if you were sure it was because they were more interested in the drama of it all. But, you figured you would at least have them to turn to when you undoubtedly ran into issues if you started down this uncharted territory of dating two men at once.

The real problem now was that you didn’t know how you would have this conversation with Chris and Rob yet. You couldn’t believe that you had decided on doing this in the first place. You had never dated more than one person at a time, but this was a special circumstance. You really did like both of them, and at this point, you couldn’t decide which one of them you wanted to give all of your time and attention to. You wanted to try to see where each of the relationships could go.

It eased your mind to know that at least the girls understood your dilemma and they fully supported you in whatever you chose to do.

You decided here and now that dating them both was the only way you would ever be able to pick one of them. You decided that it was time to tell them that you already had been sort of seeing them both since you first showed up here at this convention. Hopefully, they would both understand and be on board with the idea.

Now, the only thing you had to worry about was how much Rob and Chris were going to freak out when you told them that you wanted to try openly dating each of them for a while.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feeling confident about her decision after talking to Kim and Bri, the reader finally gets some sleep - only to wake up to a serious problem.

**FOCUS**

****

 

With a reassuring pat on your shoulder, Kim smiled before pulling open the door to the ladies’ room. Bri, ever the optimist, wrapped an arm around your shoulders and walked out with you. Bidding you good-night and good luck, the two of them sauntered back over to the decidedly smaller group of people they’d been sitting with earlier.

Wandering back over to the couch with the conversation you’d just had with the girls still fresh in your mind, you began to gather your things, fully intent on heading back to your room.

Rob’s tired smile greeted you from where he still sat on the couch. Lifting himself from the cushions, he raised his arms, stretching while trying to stifle a yawn.

Realizing your own exhaustion, you glanced at the phone in your hand to see how late it was. The screen read three-forty-five. How you’d managed to stay awake this long, you weren’t sure. Though it may have had something to do with the company you’d kept and the conversations you’d had in the several hours that had passed since you’d followed Kim up from the green room.

 

“I don’t know how you guys do this every weekend.” Smiling at the man in front of you when he reached for your hand, the question in your eyes was undeniable as his warm fingers laced themselves through yours.

“You get used to it, or rather, some of us do. We see each other a lot, but Saturday nights – everyone is so hyped up after the concert that we couldn’t sleep right away if we tried.”

Nodding your understanding as the two of you made your way to the door, you let his answer sink in. He must have mistook your silence for discomfort however, and as his thumb smoothed over your knuckles, you were brought back to the present.

“You okay?” Concern mingled with the fatigue on his face, and you smiled. The idea that someone could read you well enough to tell the difference between your being tired and upset was a new idea for you. For a moment, you considered just talking to him right then. The halls were quiet as he walked you back towards your room, but the thought was brief. You knew you’d rather be completely present for the conversation you’d be having with both him and Chris. Squeezing his hand, you nodded.

 

“Just tired. I don’t think I’ve been up this late in ten years.” “I’m actually debating whether it’s even worth it to sleep at this point.”

Rubbing your free hand across your face, the small movement seemed to bring with it the full weight of your exhaustion.

“Trust me, you’re going to want to sleep as much as you can. Don’t wanna show up for work in the morning and not be at the top of your game. It’s J2 day after all.”

Nudging your shoulder as the two of you approached your door, Rob stopped short, pulling you around and into a sweet hug. The steady beating in his chest threatening to make you fall asleep standing right where you were. Pressing his lips to your forehead, he smiled sleepily.

 

“Get some sleep, [Y/F/N] – I’ll see you tomorrow. Or…rather, later today.”

Nodding to yourself, but finding it difficult to move away from his embrace, you finally sighed and unlocked your door. With a final glance, Rob said goodbye and turned to walk back down the hallway.

Having zero energy to change into different clothes, you fell face-first into the mediocre hotel bed, asleep before you could even think about anything that had transpired tonight.

****

A frenzied knocking at the door pulled you from a deep sleep. Squinting against the early morning sun streaming through the window, you hoped the noise had been part of your dream. Closing your eyes to try and recapture it proved futile as the insistent interruption sounded again.

If only you'd given whoever stood on the other side of that door a spare key, you wouldn't have to get out of bed.

Wishful thinking on your part. The next round of knocking came with the muffled sound of your name. Not wanting to disturb the people who were likely trying to sleep in on the final day of their weekend, you begrudgingly extracted yourself from the nest of blankets and crossed the room to the door. Pulling it open amidst yet another flurry of knocking, you were surprised to see Kim and Briana standing on the other side.

 

Craning their heads to look over your shoulder, Briana brushed past you into the room while Kim started immediately with rapid fire questions.

 

"Good morning, Sunshine!" "How ya feeling?"

"We brought coffee, and not that gross hotel sludge they so generously offer for free, but the real stuff. The good stuff." 

"You like coffee right?"

Nodding with a barely disguised grumble of affirmation, you could only smile as the women both grimaced good-naturedly.

 

"Yikes, rough night?"

"...you're uh, you're not hiding anyone under the bed or in the closet are you?"

The last teasing remark was the first thing Briana had said to you, and honestly, the first thing that even remotely registered as a question needing answered.

Standing to one side so Kim could squeeze past, you turned, still wrapped in the duvet as the door clicked shut behind you.

 

"Definitely not."

 

Sipping at the bold flavors of the latte Kim had given you, the surprised glance shared between the other two women went unnoticed.

"Well, uh, have you talked to them yet?" 

Glancing at Briana, her gaze was still on Kim even though she had spoken to you.

Turning your attention to the other woman, your eyes narrowed upon noticing the poorly concealed consternation Kim wore on her face.

"No…. _ why _ ?” Setting the coffee on the bedside table, attention now fully on the girls, you crossed your arms under your chest, alternating your attention between them, hoping one of them was about to start talking.

 

"Uh, well, funny you should ask...but uh...we..erm.."

Briana was stalling, shooting furtive glances to her friend, silently asking for help.

"We can't find Chris. We thought maybe…"

 

Waffling her hands in the air, her very pointed expression made it clear why they were at your room at nine am. 

Choking on a sip of the coffee you'd picked back up, you took a moment to wipe the back of a hand across your chin.

 

"And..what, you thought he'd be here?!"

Scrunching up her face, Kim shrugged before nodding vigorously.

"I'm not sure whether to be offended or flattered." A snort of laughter followed the statement, but you weren't really upset.

"I mean, I guess I can understand why you guys would think to come here but I haven't seen Chris since last night."

"Rob walked me back to my room and then I crashed. As you can see, I didn't even change."

 

Skirting the bed to pick up your phone from the dresser, you flicked open the screen. There were no messages or missed calls.

"I'll shoot him a text and--"

"We've all done that. Went to his room too." Briana said the words softly, as if she wasn't sure how you'd take the news.

"Yeah, but maybe Chris will answer [Y/F/N]. Couldn't hurt anyways." Kim pointed out.

 

"I mean...it is still really early. Hell, I've only slept five hours myself. Are you guys sure he's not just passed out in his room?"

 

Typing out a quick good morning text, asking Chris if he wanted to meet for lunch, you set the phone back down on the dresser.

"Chris is always the first one up. Dude is awake before the birds, regardless of how late he stayed out the night before." Kim went on to explain that nobody had heard from him since he'd left the party last night.

"I'm sure he's fine. Really...he's a big boy, he can take care of himself." 

"The convention doesn't start for another few hours, right? I bet he'll be back before the first set of photo ops. He's probably just getting breakfast or something."

****

Following the girls downstairs after you'd taken the time to shower and brush your teeth - which went a remarkably long way towards feeling like a functioning human again - the vendors room caught your eye.

"I'll catch up later guys, I'm gonna check this out."

Ducking into the adjacent hallway, several tables were spread across the space. Arranged amongst the typical t-shirt vendors, artists sold everything from paintings to jewelry to custom figurines. 

 

Selecting a tote bag and several CD's from the Louden Swain merchandise table, you were paying for your selections when a familiar voice caught your attention.

 

"Yeah, that's her."

"I don't know, but he's been really different this weekend. It's like he doesn't even see us now that she's around."

 

The conversation was all hushed tones and urgent whispers, and it was clear that whoever the woman was talking to was trying, unsuccessfully, to keep her voice down.

You weren't typically one to eavesdrop on others discussions but it was pretty clear you were part of it. Plus, they were talking about Chris. Maybe they knew where he was.

Before you had a chance to ask them, the two women walked away, leaving you to wonder what they were talking about.

 

"Don't pay them any mind, unfortunately, gossip spreads like wildfire around here and since you're the new girl, you're the hot topic of the weekend."

 

Sitting diagonally from where you stood, a girl smiled at you from behind her booth. Approaching her table, you took note of the stylized art of the guests, lined up next to a large, incredibly detailed portrait of Rob.

"Wow, this is really amazing." Bending over to study the color palette she'd chosen to use, you'd intended to take her observation with a grain of salt. She, however didn't appear to be finished.

"You seem cool enough though. You're pretty talented with that camera of yours. Chris talks about you often." 

There was no hint of jealousy or mockery in her words, and her neutral expression seemed friendly enough.

"You guys are friends?" "Have you seen him today?"

 

The woman shrugged nonchalantly.

"I suppose? He and I have been at the same conventions for several years, and we take great delight in annoying each other - but aside from that?"

Bending over her notebook, she went back to working on her drawing. Taking note of the fact that she hadn't really answered either of your questions, you were just about to look through her portfolio when your phone rang.

 

"Hey, did you guys find him?" "Oh...really? And what time does it start? Damnit. Ok, I'll be there in a sec."

Dropping the device back into your pocket, you said a hurried goodbye and made a beeline for the door.

 

It was nearing eleven o'clock, when a line if people would be waiting for their photo ops with Jensen. Hurrying to the photo op room, when you arrived and the space was silent, concern really started to set in.

Chris had never missed a Creation event since he'd started. Well over a hundred events and he'd always shown up. You could only hope today wouldn't change that. 

Approximately fifty people were already milling about outside of the quiet space, volunteers trying to herd them back into the auditorium.

 

"Guys, please return to the theater - we'll be calling Jensen's photo ops in groups of fifty to a hundred at a time."

"Chris hasn't even set up for the day please go back to your seats."

You made a mental note to thank the volunteers at some point today, they really were the backbone of these conventions.

 

Slipping through the door, you were quick to flip the light switches. The silence and the dark were too much together when you'd only ever seen the room brightly lit and loud.

Figuring the least you could do was start setting up, you made the rounds, checking that lights were connected, the printers were turned on and the marks on the floor didn't need refreshing. Chris's equipment wasn't in the room, but then you hadn't really expected him to leave it overnight. 

Checking your phone once more, it was still devoid of any notifications. Navigating to your own playlists, you hit play and docked it in the cradle sitting on the table. It wasn't his music, but it made the wait infinitely less awkward.

When the door opened, you glanced up, heart beating wildly in your chest. Hoping…

"Hey, uh, we've got the first fifty people lined up out here. Should I let the handlers know to bring Jensen in?"

Chris's assistant searched your face for answers. Problem was, you had no idea how to do this alone. Right now, it looked as if your choice was being made for you however, as you couldn't realistically ask them to wait any longer than they already had.

'Uh..ye-yeah.. go ahead. Let's see what happens."

  
  



End file.
